Evid Based Spine Care J
· 2012 May · PMID 23230419
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STUDY DESIGN: Case report. OBJECTIVE: To describe a case of thoracic pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO) for congenital kyphosis in a child. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Although congenital kyphosis is rare, it is a challe...STUDY DESIGN: Case report. OBJECTIVE: To describe a case of thoracic pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO) for congenital kyphosis in a child. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Although congenital kyphosis is rare, it is a challenging cause of pediatric myelopathy and frank paralysis. Even less common is the use of PSO for the surgical management of focal congenital kyphosis. We present the case of a child with congenital kyphosis that was managed with a pedicle subtraction osteotomy. METHODS: A detailed history and physical examination were performed with careful review of the patient's medical records and x-ray studies. A PSO at T11 was performed along with T9 through L1 instrumented posterolateral fusion. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 10-year-old girl was evaluated for walking difficulty and a lump on her back. Physical examination revealed a sharp gibbus kyphosis in the lower thoracic spine with tenderness and bilateral back muscle spasms. The patient displayed difficulty with balance lacking a smooth, regular gait rhythm. Clonus and radiculopathy were not present. Plain x-ray of the thoracolumbar spine revealed hyperkyphosis and failure of anterior wall segmentation between T10 and T11 vertebral bodies. Cobb's angle measured 65 degrees. Due to her symptoms and degree of correction required, we elected to perform a PSO at T11 along with T9 to L1 posterolateral instrumentation fusion. No intraoperative complications occurred. There was a significant improvement in her posture and gait. DISCUSSION: A thoracic PSO for congenital kyphosis was safely performed with an excellent outcome. To our knowledge, this is the first PSO procedure performed in Uganda.
Severson EP, Sofianos DA, Powell A
… +3 more, Daubs M, Patel R, Patel AA
Evid Based Spine Care J
· 2012 May · PMID 23230417
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STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series and literature review. OBJECTIVE: To report and discuss spinal fractures occurring in recreational bobsledders. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Spinal fractures have been commonly d...STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series and literature review. OBJECTIVE: To report and discuss spinal fractures occurring in recreational bobsledders. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Spinal fractures have been commonly described following traumatic injury during a number of recreational sports. Reports have focused on younger patients and typically involved high-impact sports or significant injuries. With an aging population and a wider array of recreational sports, spinal injuries may be seen after seemingly benign activities and without a high-impact injury. METHODS: A retrospective review of two patients and review of the literature was performed. RESULTS: Two patients with spinal fractures after recreational bobsledding were identified. Both patients, aged 57 and 54 years, noticed a simultaneous onset of severe back pain during a routine turn on a bobsled track. Neither was involved in a high-impact injury during the event. Both patients were treated conservatively with resolution of symptoms. An analysis of the bobsled track revealed that potential forces imparted to the rider may be greater than the yield strength of vertebral bone. CONCLUSIONS: Older athletes may be at greater risk for spinal fracture associated with routine recreational activities. Bobsledding imparts large amounts of force during routine events and may result in spinal trauma. Older patients, notably those with osteoporosis or metabolic bone disease, should be educated about the risks associated with seemingly benign recreational sports.
Devine JG, Dettori JR, France JC
… +2 more, Brodt E, McGuire RA
Evid Based Spine Care J
· 2012 May · PMID 23230416
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STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. STUDY RATIONALE: Some have noted several safety issues associated with the use of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), including cancer risk, stating both BMP and their receptors had bee...STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. STUDY RATIONALE: Some have noted several safety issues associated with the use of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), including cancer risk, stating both BMP and their receptors had been isolated from human tumors. In addition, data presented to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the product AMPLIFY™ (rhBMP-2, 40 mg) revealed a higher number of cancers in the investigational group compared with the control. OBJECTIVE: To independently review the cancer risk of rhBMP-2 use in spine fusion as published in the peer-reviewed literature and in the publicly available FDA data summaries. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature was undertaken for articles published through January 2012. Pubmed, Cochrane, National Guideline Clearinghouse Databases as well as bibliographies of key articles were searched. Two independent reviewers revised articles. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were set and each article was subjected to a predefined quality-rating scheme. RESULTS: Five published peer-reviewed studies and two FDA safety summaries reported the occurrence of cancer in patients treated with spinal fusion using rhBMP-2 or rhBMP-7. Cancer data for on-label use of rhBMP-2 (InFUSE™) were reported in the FDA data summary but not in one published pivotal study. The risk of cancer was same in both the rhBMP-2 and control groups, 0.7% after 24 months. Off-label use of rhBMP for posterolateral fusion (PLF) was associated with a slightly higher risk of cancer compared with controls in three randomized controlled trials and one poorly conducted retrospective cohort study at various follow-ups. In PLF the risk of cancer was 3.8% using 40 mg of BMP-2 compared with 0.9% in the control group. Two RCTs evaluating rhBMP-7 reported a cancer risk of 12.5% and 5.6% in the rhBMP-7 group compared with 8.3% and 0% in the control groups, respectively. The differences in these studies were not statistically significant; however, the sample sizes for these studies were small. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer risk with BMP-2 may be dose dependent, illustrating the need to continue to study this technology and obtain longer follow-up on patients currently enrolled in the FDA trials. Additionally, refined guidelines regarding the routine use of BMPs should be developed, taking into account the FDA summary data that is not routinely scrutinized by the practicing surgeon.
Evid Based Spine Care J
· 2012 May · PMID 23230415
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STUDY DESIGN: Systematic literature review. RATIONALE: Many authors have postulated on various risk factors associated with the pathogenesis of degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS), yet controversies regarding those ris...STUDY DESIGN: Systematic literature review. RATIONALE: Many authors have postulated on various risk factors associated with the pathogenesis of degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS), yet controversies regarding those risk factors still exist. OBJECTIVE: To critically appraise and summarize evidence on risk factors for DS. METHODS: Articles published before October 15, 2011, were systematically reviewed using PubMed and bibliographies of key articles. Each article was subject to quality rating and was analyzed by two independent reviewers. RESULTS: From 382 citations, 30 underwent full-text review. Fourteen studies met inclusion criteria. All but two were considered poor quality. Female gender and higher facet joint angle were consistently associated with an increased risk of DS across multiple studies. Multiple studies also consistently reported no association between back pain and prolonged occupational sitting. Associations between age, parity, lumbosacral angle, lumbar lordosis, facet joint tropism, and pelvic inclination angles were inconsistent. CONCLUSIONS: There appears to be consistent evidence to suggest that the risk of DS increases with increasing age and is greater for females and people with a greater facet joint angle.
Evid Based Spine Care J
· 2012 May · PMID 23230414
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STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective prognostic study. OBJECTIVES: To describe the prevalence of pain following fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and to identify factors associated with pain and disability. METHODS: F...STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective prognostic study. OBJECTIVES: To describe the prevalence of pain following fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and to identify factors associated with pain and disability. METHODS: From 126 consecutive patients surgically treated for scoliosis between 1997 and 2007, 104 (82.5%) completed SRS-22 and ODI questionnaires at a last follow-up (mean, 4.8 years; range 1-11.2 years). Prevalence of pain and disability were determined from SRS questions 1 and 9 respectively, with "any" pain or decrease in activity considered clinically significant. SRS Pain Domain Scores (PDS) were also evaluated. RESULTS: Most participants reported "no pain" (38.5%) or "mild pain" (30.8%) and 72.1% of participants reported a current work/school activity level of 100% normal. An association between instrument type and the presence of any pain in the previous 6 months was noted (P = .022). Instrument type was the only factor that was significantly associated with the PDS (P = .0052). CONCLUSIONS: The high percentage of patients reporting no pain or mild pain may suggest overall success of the procedures. Although an association between instrument type and pain was seen, unmeasured factors that contributed to the decision of what instrument to use may confound the relationship. From these data a causal inference cannot be made.Final class of evidence-prognosisSTUDY DESIGNProspective CohortRetrospective Cohort•Case controlCase seriesMETHODSPatients at similar point in course of treatment•F/U ≥ 85%Similarity of treatment protocols for patient groupsPatients followed up long enough for outcomes to occur•Control for extraneous risk factors•*Overall class of evidenceIIIThe definiton of the different classes of evidence is available on page 55.*Potentially confounding factors were systematically explored and considered for stratified analysis as appropriate.
Evid Based Spine Care J
· 2012 May · PMID 23230413
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STUDY DESIGN: Population-based retrospective cohort study. CLINICAL QUESTION: Are patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or more who undergo elective lumbar spine surgery at increased risk of post-surgical complic...STUDY DESIGN: Population-based retrospective cohort study. CLINICAL QUESTION: Are patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or more who undergo elective lumbar spine surgery at increased risk of post-surgical complications, as evidenced by reoperation within a 3-month period? METHODS: The Alberta Health and Wellness Administrative database was queried to identify patients who underwent elective lumbar spine surgery over a 24-month period. This same database was used to classify subjects as obese (BMI ≥35) and non-obese (BMI <35) and to determine who underwent repeated surgical intervention. The rate of reoperation was determined for both the obese and non-obese groups; further analyses were performed to determine whether certain subjects were at increased risk of reoperation. RESULTS: The point estimate for relative risk for requiring reoperation was 1.73 (95% confidence interval, 1.03-2.90) for obese subjects compared with non-obese subjects. The adjusted point estimate shows that deformity correction surgery is predictive for early reoperation while obesity is not. CONCLUSIONS: In obese subjects we observed an increased complication rate after elective lumbar spine surgery, as evidenced by reoperation rates within 3 months. When we considered other possible associations with reoperation, in adjusted analysis, deformity surgery was found to be predictive of early reoperation.Final class of evidence-prognosisSTUDY DESIGNProspective CohortRetrospective Cohort•Case controlCase seriesMETHODSPatients at similar point in course of treatment•F/U ≥ 85%•Similarity of treatment protocols for patient groups•Patients followed up long enough for outcomes to occur•Control for extraneous risk factorsOverall class of evidenceIIIThe definiton of the different classes of evidence is available on page 55.
James AR, Bowles RD, Gebhard HH
… +2 more, Bonassar LJ, Härtl R
Evid Based Spine Care J
· 2011 Nov · PMID 23230409
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Consistent with EBSJ's commitment to fostering quality research, we are pleased to feature some of the most highly rated abstracts from the 9th Annual AOSpine North America Fellows Forum in Banff, Canada. Enhancing the q...Consistent with EBSJ's commitment to fostering quality research, we are pleased to feature some of the most highly rated abstracts from the 9th Annual AOSpine North America Fellows Forum in Banff, Canada. Enhancing the quality of evidence in spine care means acknowledging and supporting the efforts of young researchers within our AOSpine North America network. We look forward to seeing more from these promising researchers in the future.
Evid Based Spine Care J
· 2011 Nov · PMID 23230407
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Case report.We present the case of a 55-year-old woman with cauda equina syndrome, and hypokalaemic paralysis secondary to thiazide diuretic abuse. Case report.We present the case of a 55-year-old woman with cauda equina syndrome, and hypokalaemic paralysis secondary to thiazide diuretic abuse.
Crabtree KL, Anderson KK, Haynes NG
… +1 more, Arnold PM
Evid Based Spine Care J
· 2011 Nov · PMID 23230405
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STUDY DESIGN: Case report. CLINICAL QUESTION: To report successful surgical therapy for spinal cord compression in a patient with spinal metastases from a pancreatic gastrinoma. METHODS: A 43-year-old man presented th...STUDY DESIGN: Case report. CLINICAL QUESTION: To report successful surgical therapy for spinal cord compression in a patient with spinal metastases from a pancreatic gastrinoma. METHODS: A 43-year-old man presented three times within 4 years with cervical and upper thoracic spinal cord compression because of metastatic gastrinoma. He had two previous spine metastases to the lower thoracic and lumbar spine, a T11 compressive lesion which required a T9L1 fusion, and an L4 lesion that was treated with chemotherapy and stereotactic radiation. The compression was relieved each time by surgery. RESULTS: The patient underwent three surgeries in 4 years: (1) debulking and removal of the rib head on the left at T3, and debulking of the tumor at T3 with hemilaminectomy and spinal cord decompression with internal fixation from T1-T5 using posterolateral instrumented fusion and allograft; (2) anterior C7 corpectomy with placement of a cage from C7-T1 with both anterior and posterior fusion of C2C7; and (3) T1-T3 laminectomy, T1-T3 exploration of wound, revision of hardware, T1-T3 removal of spinal tumor, and T3 bilateral transpedicular circumferential decompression. The patient is alive and regained the ability to walk 8 years after initial diagnosis, despite the appearance of spinal metastases 1 year after the diagnosis of liver metastases. CONCLUSION: Surgery for spinal cord compression in patients with metastatic neuroendocrine tumors can be effective in relieving radicular pain, weakness and numbness, and while not curative can greatly improve quality of life.
Schroeder JE, Ecker E, Skelly AC
… +1 more, Kaplan L
Evid Based Spine Care J
· 2011 Nov · PMID 23230404
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STUDY DESIGN: Comparative effectiveness review. STUDY RATIONALE: The spine is among the most common location for bony metastases. In many cases these metastases cause fractures leading to increased morbidity. Percutane...STUDY DESIGN: Comparative effectiveness review. STUDY RATIONALE: The spine is among the most common location for bony metastases. In many cases these metastases cause fractures leading to increased morbidity. Percutaneous cement augmentation techniques have been developed over the past decades for the treatment of these fractures; however, there are little data comparing these interventions. CLINICAL QUESTION: Do comparative studies of vertebral cement augmentation for fractures caused by spinal tumors provide evidence of improved patient outcomes? METHODS: A systematic search and review of the literature was undertaken to identify studies published through June 8, 2011. Two individuals independently reviewed articles based on inclusion and exclusion criteria which were set a priori. Each article was evaluated using a predefined quality-rating system and an overall strength of evidence determined. RESULTS: The literature consists primarily of case series. Only two studies comparing vertebroplasty with kyphoplasty were found. Pain scores in both treatment groups were significantly decreased relative to preoperative scores and appear to have been sustained at follow-up times to 1 year. It is unclear whether one treatment provided superior pain relief than the other. Both studies reported decreased analgesic use after both treatments but neither study compared use between treatment groups. Balloon rupture occurred in one kyphoplasty patient in one study and extravasation of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) cement into the anterior perivertebral soft tissue was seen in another patient in the vertebroplasty group and no patients in the kyphoplasty group in the other study. No other intraoperative or postoperative complications occurred. CONCLUSIONS: There is only limited evidence from comparative studies (two small retrospective cohort studies) regarding the benefits of vertebroplasty versus kyphoplasty in patients with spinal fractures caused by tumors. Both appear to be effective in reducing pain with relatively few complications. Whether one method provides superior results over the other cannot be determined from the available evidence. Study limitations preclude making definitive conclusions. The overall strength of evidenced is very low.
Fairbank J, Hashimoto R, Dailey A
… +2 more, Patel AA, Dettori JR
Evid Based Spine Care J
· 2011 Nov · PMID 23230403
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STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. STUDY RATIONALE: While magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used as the diagnostic gold standard for cauda equina syndrome (CES), many MRI scans obtained from patients presenting with si...STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. STUDY RATIONALE: While magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used as the diagnostic gold standard for cauda equina syndrome (CES), many MRI scans obtained from patients presenting with signs and/or symptoms of CES do not reveal concordant pathology. As a result, the role of the history and physical examination remains unclear when determining which patients require emergent MRI.Objective or clinical question: Are there elements from the history or physical examination that are associated with CES as established by MRI? METHODS: A systematic review of the literature was undertaken for articles published through April 13, 2011. PubMed, Cochrane, National Guideline Clearinghouse Databases, and bibliographies of key articles were searched. Two independent reviewers reviewed articles. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were set and each article was subject to a predefined quality-rating scheme. RESULTS: We identified four articles meeting our inclusion criteria. All studies evaluated patients with symptoms suggestive of CES and compared symptoms and/or signs with findings at MRI. The mean prevalence of CES as diagnosed by MRI ranged from 14%-48% of patients. No symptoms or signs reported by more than one study showed high sensitivity and specificity, and all likelihood ratios were low. Symptoms included back/low back pain, bilateral sciatica, bladder retention, bladder incontinence, frequent urination, decreased urinary sensation, and bowel incontinence; signs included saddle numbness and reduced anal tone. CONCLUSIONS: There is low evidence that individual symptoms or signs from the patient history or clinical examination, respectively, can be used to diagnose CES. Additional prospective studies are needed to evaluate whether any single and/or combination of symptoms are associated with a positive diagnosis of CES.
Evid Based Spine Care J
· 2011 Nov · PMID 23230402
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STUDY DESIGN: Prospective study. STUDY RATIONALE: A recurrent phenomenon, the lifetime prevalence of low back pain has been reported as 54%-80%, while annual prevalence ranges from 15%-45%.1 It is also associated with...STUDY DESIGN: Prospective study. STUDY RATIONALE: A recurrent phenomenon, the lifetime prevalence of low back pain has been reported as 54%-80%, while annual prevalence ranges from 15%-45%.1 It is also associated with enormous economic, societal, and health impact.2 India, being a developing country, has its problem compounded by the occupational compulsions in parts of the rural areas.3For some interventional therapies, like epidural steroid injections, utilization rates have increased dramatically.4,5,6,7,8,9 They have become one of the most commonly performed interventions in the United States for low back pain with radiculopathy.10CLINICAL QUESTION: Multiple systematic reviews,11 a meta-analysis,12 several guidelines,13 health technology assessments by insurers, and local medical review policies and coverage decisions have been published. However, controversy continues regarding the effectiveness of epidural steroid injections. In addition three types of epidurals, namely interlaminar, transforaminal, and caudal, with variable results complicate the picture for practice of interventional pain management. The underlying mechanism of action of epidurally administered steroid and local anesthetic injections is still not well understood and compounds the problem.14OBJECTIVE: To evaluate and update the effects of caudal epidural injection in the management of chronic low back pain and sciatica.Final Class of evidence-treatmentYes STUDY DESIGN: RCT• Cohort Case control Case seriesMethods Concealed allocation (RCT)• Intention to treat (RCT)• Blinded/independent evaluation of primary outcome• F/U ≥ 85%• Adequate sample size•Control for confoundingOverall class of evidenceIIThe definiton of the different classes of evidence is available here.
Gullung GB, Woodall JW, Tucci MA
… +3 more, James J, Black DA, McGuire RA
Evid Based Spine Care J
· 2011 Nov · PMID 23230401
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STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled animal trial. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the early and late phase effects of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection into and around the damaged intervertebral disc using an animal model, a...STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled animal trial. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the early and late phase effects of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection into and around the damaged intervertebral disc using an animal model, and to evaluate the needle puncture technique in creating a degenerative disc model. METHODS: The L4-L5 intervertebral disc of 18 adult Sprague-Dawley rats was injured with a 21-gauge needle. Animals received an immediate injection of PRP, or a delayed injection of PRP 2 weeks postinjury, or no further intervention (sham) (n = 6/group). Six uninjured controls were used. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed for a control at time 0 and each group at 4 weeks postinjury, this allowed resolution of inflammation and an accurate assessment of healing. Specimens were collected from immediate PRP group at 2 and 4 weeks postinjury, and the delayed PRP group at 4 and 6 weeks postinjury. The sham and control specimens were collected at 2, 4, and 6 weeks postinjury. Each disc was sectioned and analyzed subjectively for overall structure, cellularity, and water content (utilizing MRI). Disc height was measured using descriptive statistics and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Tukey post hoc analysis. It was presumed both groups injected with PRP would have better outcomes than the sham group. RESULTS: The sham group had clear degenerative changes with loss of organizational structure, empty space, fibrous tissue, and inflammatory cells, indicating needle puncture leads to degeneration. The PRP treated groups had fibers that were damaged with empty spaces and inflammatory cells. However, there was maintenance of the ring structure and the nucleus appeared to have a healthy central portion. Overall, both PRP - treated groups retained more normal morphologic features, contained fewer inflammatory cells, and had higher fluid content on MRI; however the effect was more pronounced in the immediate injection group. The disc height was significantly different in the sham and immediate injection group at the 4-week interval. CONCLUSIONS: This percutaneous needle puncture technique is an effective method for creating a degenerative disc model without posterior destabilization of the spine. The administration of PRP has a protective effect on damaged discs in the acute and delayed injection settings representing clinical treatment with PRP in the early versus late stages of the degenerative process. It appears that earlier intervention in the disease process would be more beneficial than PRP treatment of already severely degenerated discs.