The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society
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Case Reports
Pseudoaneurysm of the thoracoabdominal aorta caused by a severe migration of an anterior spinal device.
Case report. ⋯ The pseudoaneurysm of the aorta can occur secondary to a migrated anterior spinal fixation device and can be successfully treated by revision anterior surgery with vascular repair and implant removal.
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Compared with the cervical spine, little attention has been paid to rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-related lumbar disorders. Only a few articles have described the status of the lumbar spine affected by RA based on plain X-ray films and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). ⋯ Of 104 patients, 47 (45.2%) exhibited abnormalities on X-ray films and MRI. There were two types of disorders, disc narrowing and disc ballooning. Both the Lansbury index and Ochi's classification reflected the severity of lumbar lesions in RA patients.
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Spine trauma is relatively common, and each year approximately 10,000 to 17,000 people in the United States will sustain a spinal cord injury and approximately 150,000 to 160,000 will fracture their spinal column. Posttraumatic spinal deformity is a common potential complication of spinal injury and poses one of the greatest challenges in spinal surgery. ⋯ Posttraumatic spinal deformity is a common complication of spinal injury, and it is therefore essential for patients with vertebral column injuries to have a careful initial evaluation, close follow-up, and early intervention when needed. Once posttraumatic deformity is present, successful outcome is achievable assuming a thorough, systematic, and technically well-executed surgical intervention is performed.
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Plain radiographic assessment of posterolateral fusion has been reported as accurate in only two thirds of patients who were found to be healed at surgical exploration. Plain radiographic techniques for fusion assessment of interbody fusion with radiolucent cages are reported to be accurate. A helical computed tomography (CT) scan shows a high sensitivity for pseudarthrosis compared with plain radiography. ⋯ Fusion assessment with plain X-ray films and helical CT scans showed equal accuracy after posterior lumbar interbody fusion confirmed by surgical exploration. Our results indicate that when plain X-ray films show strong evidence of fusion or pseudarthrosis, the helical CT is unlikely to provide useful new information.