Journal of spinal disorders
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A prospective study was performed in obese and nonobese patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery to report perioperative data and surgical outcomes. One hundred fifty-nine consecutive patients who underwent lumbar spine surgery by a single surgeon entered the study. Among 159 consecutive patients, 55 met the criteria for obesity (> 20% ideal body weight). ⋯ This study found no significant differences between obese and control patients relative to blood loss, operative time, hospital stay, rate of complications, and functional outcome in lumbar spine surgery. Patient selection continues to be the most important factor in terms of operative success. We believe that lumbar spine surgery, including fusion, should not be withheld from obese patients who present with proper indications for surgery and fail an appropriate course of conservative treatment.
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Anterior spinal fusion (ASF) has been proven to improve curve correction, save motion segments, and decrease the rate of pseudarthrosis when compared with posterior spinal fusion alone. However, in patients with idiopathic scoliosis, the complication rate of the anterior approach to the spine using current techniques has only been scantly defined in the literature. This is a retrospective review of consecutive patients who underwent primary ASF for idiopathic scoliosis to determine the prevalence and types of complications specifically related to the anterior approach. ⋯ The anterior approach to the spine in patients with idiopathic scoliosis in this series was very safe, with only one major complication in 98 patients. However, minor and insignificant complications were quite common, occurring in 45 of 98 patients (46%). Smoking was a significant risk factor for minor complications.
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Epidural steroid therapy is a commonly applied "conservative" therapy, but it is not inherently benign. Although arachnoiditis, infection, and meningitis have been reported, acute paraplegia has not been reported as a complication of either caudal or spinal epidural steroid injection. A unique case of transient, profound paralysis after epidural steroid injection is reported here. ⋯ Although pathologic confirmation of the cause was not possible, the potential for this alarming complication should be recognized by physicians prescribing epidural steroid therapy. We do not suggest that epidural steroid therapy is the treatment of choice for patients with multiple back operations or that it is efficacious for these patients. Our purpose is to alert surgeons and therapists to a rare but potentially devastating complication and to provide our experience in treating it.
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A case of a large L3-L4 intervertebral disc herniation causing a widening of the intervertebral foramen is reported. There was a soft-tissue mas within the spinal canal and intervertebral foramen. ⋯ There exists a degree of overlap between the imaging of herniated discs and spinal neurinomas. When this overlap involves several aspects, such as anatomic configuration, mass enhancement, and secondary foraminal dilatation, the differential diagnosis between a herniated disc and a neurinoma may be problematic.
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Inter- and intraobserver variability in grading lumbar fusion status radiographically was assessed. The objective was to determine the interobserver variability and intraobserver reproducibility in the assessment of two level noninstrumented lumbar fusions. Fifty sets of radiographs with anteroposterior, left and right bending, and flexion-extension lateral views were assessed by six observers of varying experience and background, with fusion status graded. ⋯ Intraobserver reproducibility was higher in more experienced observers. The results indicate only fair reliability in terms of interobserver agreement to grading of lumbar fusion status. Variability in assessing lumbar fusion radiographically may explain some of the variability in fusion rates reported in the literature and poor correlation that can be seen between clinical outcome and radiologic outcome.