The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society
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Endoscopic techniques have been used since 1993 to treat thoracic disk disease. Thorascopic techniques evolved into means of treating not only disk disease but also correcting thoracic spinal deformity with instrumentation and fusion. ⋯ The initial results of the thoracoscopic-assisted techniques for primary thoracic scoliosis are promising. As with most evolving techniques, surgical times are decreasing and rates of correction are improving.
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Some researchers have found a correlation of poor treatment outcomes in patients with low back pain and abnormal psychological profiles, whereas others have failed to confirm this correlation. A critical feature of this debate has been whether abnormal psychological profiles seen in patients with back pain are the result of the ongoing back pain or whether pre-existing psychological features predispose to a poor clinical outcome. ⋯ Despite similar pain levels and pain duration, patients with the discographic diagnosis of discogenic back pain have poorer functional scores and very abnormal psychological scores compared with other subjects with chronic low back pain resulting from spondylolisthesis requiring surgery or chronic pyogenic osteomyelitis. Chronic moderately severe mechanical low back pain in healthy subjects was not associated with abnormal psychological scores or functional disability.
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Comparative Study
Functional outcomes of instrumented posterior lumbar interbody fusion in active-duty US servicemen: a comparison with nonoperative management.
The existing literature lacks a functional outcome study addressing instrumented posterior lumbar fusion surgery in physically active patients. Furthermore, results of operative versus nonoperative treatment in these patients are not clear. ⋯ In this nonrandomized study of 29 active-duty US servicemen with chronic low back pain and single-level lumbar disc degeneration, instrumented PLIF surgery was associated with a high rate of return to full military duty. Servicemen treated with this technique were less likely to receive a back pain disability discharge or a permanent physical limitation profile when compared with servicemen who chose to be treated nonoperatively. Outcomes with respect to postreatment pain, function, and satisfaction were higher in patients treated with instrumented PLIF and were excellent in servicemen who were able to return to full duty regardless of treatment.
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Comparative Study
Recurrent disabling work-related spinal disorders after prior injury claims in a chronic low back pain population.
Multiple compensation injury claims are an understudied phenomenon in the chronic back pain and occupational injury literature. Assumptions about poor treatment outcomes for patients presenting with prior injury can lead to denial of treatment, even though these assumptions have not been empirically addressed. Functional restoration has been demonstrated to be an effective rehabilitation treatment for disabling, work-related chronic back pain, although its' relative utility with recurrent injury (RI) patients has not been previously evaluated. ⋯ The results of this study indicate that, although patients with recurrent injuries evidence differences in demographic, psychosocial and work history/adjustment differences when compared with patients with nonrecurrent injuries, their 1-year outcomes after tertiary, medically directed rehabilitation are identical. Both groups demonstrate very low rates of further work-related injuries through the first posttreatment year. Patients with recurrent injuries appear to develop skills in dealing with the workers' compensation system with a familiarity not seen in NRI patients. Of course, these results will need to be replicated in other settings to determine whether they can be generalized to the entire workers' compensation population.
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The surgical treatment of high-grade spondylolisthesis is challenging. Posterolateral fusion alone has a high rate of pseudarthrosis. Surgical stabilization of higher-grade lumbar spondylolisthesis with a fibula strut graft is an effective technique but is associated with harvest site morbidity and graft fractures. ⋯ The axial cage technique appears to be a significant improvement over the fibular strut graft for the treatment of higher-grade spondylolisthesis. It provides significant reduction in pain, significant improvement in function, high patient satisfaction, and avoids the morbidity and fracture risks associated with fibular strut grafting.