The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society
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Distal junctional kyphosis (DJK) is a primary concern of surgeons correcting cervical deformity. Identifying patients and procedures at higher risk of developing this condition is paramount in improving patient selection and care. ⋯ In a surgical cohort of patients with cervical deformity, we found a 23.8% incidence of DJK. Different procedures and patient malalignment predicted incidence of DJK up to 1 year. Preoperative T1 slope-cervical lordosis, cervical kyphosis, SVA, and cervical lordosis all strongly predicted DJK at specific cut-off points. Knowledge of these factors will potentially help direct future study and strategy aimed at minimizing this potentially dramatic occurrence.
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Multicenter Study
Does intrawound vancomycin powder reduce surgical site infection after posterior instrumented spinal surgery? A propensity score-matched analysis.
Recent reports suggested that placing vancomycin powder into surgical wounds before closure can prevent surgical site infections (SSIs) in spinal surgery. ⋯ Intrawound application of vancomycin powder was not associated with a significant decrease in the incidence of SSIs after posterior instrumented spinal surgeries in a propensity score-matched analysis. However, the rate of infections caused by Staphylococcus species was lower in the vancomycin group.