The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society
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Spinal cord injury (SCI) commonly results not only in motor paralysis but also in the emergence of neuropathic pain (NeuP), both of which can impair the quality of life for patients with SCI. In the clinical field, it is well known that pregabalin, which binds to the voltage-gated calcium channel alpha-2-delta-1 (α2δ-1) subunit has therapeutic effects on NeuP after SCI. A previous study has demonstrated that SCI increased α2δ-1 in the L4-L6 dorsal spinal cord of SCI rats by Western blot analysis and that the increase of α2δ-1 was correlated with tactile allodynia of the hind paw. However, the detailed feature of an increase in α2δ-1 protein in the spinal dorsal horn and the mechanism of pregabalin effect on SCI-induced NeuP have not been fully examined. ⋯ The present study results suggest that an increase of α2δ-1 in the L4 and L5 dorsal horns after thoracic SCI is derived from the increase in the expression in lumbar spinal neurons. This increase may be involved in the development of NeuP in the hind paws and the therapeutic effect of pregabalin on central NeuP after SCI.
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Multicenter Study
Impact of early unanticipated revision surgery on health-related quality of life after adult spinal deformity surgery.
Revision surgery represents a major event for patients undergoing adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery. Previous reports suggest that ASD surgery has minimal or no impact on health-related-quality of life (HRQOL) outcomes. ⋯ Early unanticipated revision surgery has a negative impact on mental health at 6 months and reduces the chances of reaching an MCID improvement in SRS-22, SF-36 PCS, and ODI at the 2-year follow-up.
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Because imaging findings of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) may not be associated with symptoms, clinical classification criteria based on patient symptoms and physical examination findings are needed. ⋯ Clinical criteria independently associated with neurogenic claudication due to LSS were identified. The use of these symptom and physical variables as a classification score for clinical research could improve homogeneity among enrolled patients.
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Lumbar total disc replacement (TDR) operation represents an alternative to lumbar fusion for the treatment of symptomatic lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration and has gained increasing attention in recent years. ⋯ Satisfactory clinical results and good prosthesis survival can be achieved in the long term. Lumbar TDR surgeries also have the potential to reduce the incidence of adjacent segment disease.
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Conventional anterior decompression surgery for cervical myelopathy, including anterior corpectomy and fusion, is technically demanding and is known to be associated with a higher incidence of surgery-related complications, including cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage, neurologic deterioration, and graft failure compared with posterior surgery. ⋯ The VBSO allows sufficient decompression of spinal cord and provides excellent neurologic outcomes. Because surgeons do not need to manipulate the OPLL mass directly, this technique could significantly decrease surgery-related complications. Furthermore, as VBSO is based on the multilevel discectomy and fusion technique, it would be more helpful to restore a physiological lordosis.