Journal of spinal disorders
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Review Case Reports
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss after spinal surgery under general anesthesia.
Two patients, ages 72 and 71, who underwent lumbar decompressive surgery for spinal stenosis, were evaluated for postoperative sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL). After two uncomplicated spinal procedures, both patients developed SSHL immediately after surgery. Hearing loss was moderate to profound in these two patients. ⋯ Further causes of postlumbar surgery SSHL may include microemboli or viral infections. SSHL is a rare but possible complication after nonotologic, noncardiac bypass surgery; only 26 cases of SSHL after this surgery have been reported. We encourage the continued reporting of sudden sensorineural hearing loss after spinal surgery.
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Case Reports
Minimum 10-year follow-up study of anterior lumbar interbody fusion for isthmic spondylolisthesis.
The aims of the current study were to evaluate the long-term clinical and radiologic results of anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) for isthmic spondylolisthesis. Between 1981 and 1988, a total of 35 patients underwent ALIF for isthmic spondylolisthesis. Of these, 23 patients were followed clinically and radiographically for more than 10 years (average, 13.3 years). ⋯ The rate of union in the grafted area was 83%. In the nonunion cases, the scores gradually deteriorated with time, but the overall results were not different from those of union cases. Radiographs showed adjacent disk degeneration in 52% of cases in the upper adjacent level and in 70% of cases in the lower adjacent level, but these changes were not correlated with clinical outcomes.
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Lumbar interbody fusion can be performed anteriorly or posteriorly. An anterior approach generally requires an access surgeon and often is combined with a posterior fusion. A traditional posterior interbody fusion can destabilize the spinal motion segment and requires neural retraction. ⋯ This cost comparison was conducted only for the time of the operative procedure. No attempt was made to analyze rates of fusion between the two groups or ultimate clinic outcome. There were no major complications in either group, and no patient returned to surgery for a lumbar spinal problem at the authors' hospital within 1 year of the index procedure.
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The sagittal shape of the spine, particularly its sagittal balance, currently is being extensively investigated. The major purpose of this study is to examine the measurement repeatability of SpineView software, which calculates 13 independent variables, to shorten and facilitate the measurement of lateral spinal radiographs; another purpose is to collect physiological data for nonpathologic spines, which can be used as a reference in future research. This article also presents two new parameters and discusses their possible role in forthcoming investigations. ⋯ The mean values were generally different between male and female subjects, and significant differences between the two sexes were only noticed for pelvic thickness and global spinal inclination. Normal range values and correlations between some pelvic and spinal parameters were similar to data found in the literature. The results of the current study provide evidence that the SpineView software is useful for experimental investigation of sagittal spinal alignment.