The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society
-
Review Historical Article
A surgical revisitation of Pott distemper of the spine.
Pott disease and tuberculosis have been with humans for countless millennia. Before the mid-twentieth century, the treatment of tuberculous spondylitis was primarily supportive and typically resulted in dismal neurological, functional and cosmetic outcomes. The contemporary development of effective antituberculous medications, imaging modalities, anesthesia, operative techniques and spinal instrumentation resulted in quantum improvements in the diagnosis, management and outcome of spinal tuberculosis. With the successful treatment of tuberculosis worldwide, interest in Pott disease has faded from the surgical forefront over the last 20 years. With the recent unchecked global pandemic of human immunodeficiency virus, the number of tuberculosis and secondary spondylitis cases is again increasing at an alarming rate. A surgical revisitation of Pott disease is thus essential to prepare spinal surgeons for this impending resurgence of tuberculosis. ⋯ Unlike historical times, effective medical and surgical management of tuberculous spondyitis is now possible. Proper selection of drug therapy and operative modalities, however, is needed to optimize functional outcomes for each individual case of Pott disease.
-
Threaded lumbar cages have been used as a safe and effective surgical fusion method for a decade. Smaller versions have now been developed for the cervical spine to obviate the need for allograft use or iliac autograft harvest and to provide initial stability before fusion. ⋯ In this study, the BAK/C cage group had the lowest graft requirements/risks, generally required fewer hospital resources, achieved similar patient outcomes and fused at a higher rate than ACDF and plate groups.
-
The current study was undertaken to determine if the presence of spinal instrumentation wear particulate debris deleteriously influences early osseointegration of posterolateral bone graft or disrupts an established posterolateral fusion mass. ⋯ Titanium particulate debris introduced at the level of a spinal arthrodesis elicits a cytokine-mediated particulate-induced response favoring proinflammatory infiltrates, increased expression of intracellular TNF-alpha, increased osteoclastic activity and cellular apoptosis. This is the first basic scientific study and the first clinical study demonstrating associations of spinal instrumentation particulates wear debris and increased cytokines and increased osteoclastic activity. Osteolysis is the number one cause of failure of orthopedic implants in the appendicular skeleton. Spinal surgeons need to increase their awareness of this destructive process.
-
Editorial Historical Article
The future of spine care and the evolving role of physician as advocate.
-
Intramedullary signal intensity changes on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in cervical spondylotic myelopathy are thought to be indicative of the prognosis. However, the prognostic significance of signal intensity changes remains controversial. ⋯ The presence of intramedullary signal changes on T1- as well as T2-weighted sequences on MRI in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy indicates a poor prognosis. However, the T2 signal intensity changes reflect a broad spectrum of spinal cord reparative potentials. Predictors of surgical outcomes are preoperative signal intensity change patterns of the spinal cord and their postoperative persistence/regression on radiological evaluations, age at the time of surgery, multiplicity of involvement and chronicity of the disease and surgical approach (anterior/posterior).