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Medicine (Baltimore) 2019 Feb;98(7):e14393

Department of Orthopaedics, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China.

To investigate the relationship between cervical and thoracic sagittal alignment parameters measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and x-ray in patients with cervical spondylosisData from 120 symptomatic patients who presented with cervical spondylosis between April 2015 and January 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients received both a cervical MRI and a cervical radiograph during a single visit. The thoracic inlet angle (TIA), T1 slope (T1S), neck tilt (NT), C2-C7 angle (C2-C7), and C2-C7 sagittal vertical axis (C2-7 SVA) were assessed. Read More

Eur Spine J 2019 Feb 13. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Department of Orthopedics, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Guoxuexiang No. 37, Wuhouqu, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China.

Purpose: POEMS syndrome is a rare clonal plasma cell disease characterized by polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M protein, and skin changes. We report a rare case of neurological impairment in patients with concurrent cervical disc herniation and POEMS syndrome.

Methods: A patient presented to a local hospital with C3/4 and C4/5 disc herniation, apparent spinal cord compression concomitant with neurological signs, and concurrent POEMS syndrome. Read More

J Orthop Res 2019 Feb 12. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh.

If intervertebral disc degeneration can be identified early, preventative treatments may be initiated before symptoms become disabling and costly. Changes in disc mechanics, such as the decrease in the compressive modulus of the nucleus, are some of the earliest signs of degeneration. Therefore, in vivo changes in the disc response to compressive load may serve as a biomarker for pending or early disc degeneration. Read More

Clin Rheumatol 2019 Feb 12. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, 126 Xiantai Street, Changchun, 130033, China.

Objectives: To investigate the effective serum level of etanercept biosimilar in Chinese patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) who achieve AS Disease Activity Score-C-reactive protein (ASDAS-CRP) < 2.1, and the effect of antidrug antibodies on drug levels and clinical efficacy.

Methods: Our study enrolled 60 patients with AS who were treated with etanercept biosimilar. Read More

Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2019 Feb 7. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Department of Physiotherapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Objective: This study evaluated the effectiveness of ergonomic latex pillows in terms of clinical and biomechanical (cervical range of motion) outcome measures in patients with cervical spondylosis.

Design: This parallel-group randomized controlled trial randomly assigned 42 patients with cervical spondylosis to the experimental and control groups. Both groups received 12 sessions of routine physical therapy for four weeks. Read More

Med Sci Monit 2019 Feb 8;25:1071-1077. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

Nursing Department, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China (mainland).

BACKGROUND Pain is a common problem affecting the wellbeing of nurses. This study investigated physical pain of nurses and their pain self-management in mainland China. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 2458 full-time nurses working in 18 hospitals across mainland China were studied from May 2016 to July 2016, of which a total of 1269 nurses (51. Read More

J Clin Neurosci 2019 Feb 4. Epub 2019 Feb 4.

Clinical Faculty, Department of Neurosurgery at UCSF Medical Center, Saint Francis Memorial Hospital, San Francisco, CA, United States.

This is a retrospective review of 24 elderly patients with upper cervical adjacent segment disease (ASD) after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), treated with posterior cervical fusion (PCF) and stabilized with cages placed bilaterally in the facets. Eight out of 24 patients had PCF with laminectomy (PCLF). Length of stay for PCF alone cohort was 30 ± 11 h, operative time was 44 ± 11 min and estimated blood loss was 46 ± 26 cc. Read More

PM R 2019 Feb 6. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

Division, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Departments of Neurology and Orthopedic Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.

A sacral pedicle stress fracture is an uncommon source of low back pain in adolescent athletes. Given the extensive differential diagnosis of low back pain coupled with the fact that non- directed specific imaging can be normal, diagnosis can be delayed. We report the case of a 15- year-old African American male, dual-sport athlete who experienced low back pain from a sacral pedicle stress fracture. Read More

J Spine Surg 2018 Dec;4(4):770-779

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Miami Hospital, Miami, FL, USA.

Management of cervical myelopathy (CM) has continued to evolve through a better understanding of the long-term outcomes of this diagnosis as well as improved diagnostic guidelines. More recent literature continues to expand the field, but certain publications can be distinguished from others due to their lasting impact. Using the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science, search phrases were used to identify publications pertaining to CM. Read More

Radiographics 2019 Feb 1:180039. Epub 2019 Feb 1.

From the Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA 02115.

The biomechanical stability of the spine is altered in patients with a rigid spine, rendering it vulnerable to fracture even from relatively minor impact. The rigid spine entities are ankylosing spondylitis (AS), diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis, degenerative spondylosis, and a surgically fused spine. The most common mechanism of injury resulting in fracture is hyperextension, which often leads to unstable injury in patients with a rigid spine per the recent AOSpine classification system. Read More

Res Rep Urol 2019 17;11:15-19. Epub 2019 Jan 17.

Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Min-Sheng General Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan,

Purpose: Ureter avulsion, a challenging urologic complication, has been rarely found in lumbar spine surgeries. Once ignored, the leaked urine usually leads to significant morbidity and also makes further repair more difficult. We present an unusual ureter injury causing a long defect which occurred in posterior spine fusion; immediate repair was performed with minimal invasion. Read More

Asian Spine J 2019 01 30. Epub 2019 Jan 30.

Spine Division, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore.

During minimally-invasive long-construct posterior instrumentation, it may be challenging to contour and place the rod as the screw heads are not visualized. To overcome this, we utilized the image data merging (IDM) facility of our spinal navigation system to visualize a coherent whole image of the construct throughout the procedure. Here, we describe this technique that was used for a patient in whom L1–L5 posterior instrumentation was performed. Read More

World Neurosurg 2019 Jan 21. Epub 2019 Jan 21.

Department of Orthopaedics, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China. Electronic address:

Objective: This meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the therapeutic effects in clinical and radiological outcomes of between self-locking stand-alone cage (SSC) and cage-with-plate (CP) for multilevel anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF).

Methods: A systematic search was performed for all comparative studies published up to August 2018. Operative time, hospital stay, intraoperative blood loss, Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score, Neck Disability Index (NDI), cervical and segmental Cobb's angle, intervertebral height, fusion rate, incidence of subsidence, dysphagia and adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) were analyzed with the RevMan 5. Read More

Zhongguo Zhen Jiu 2018 Nov;38(11):1157-60

Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700.

Objective: To observe the clinical effects on cervical spondylosis of neck type treated with the combined therapy of needling and needling techniques at the positive reaction points as compared with the conventional acupuncture.

Methods: A total of 90 patients of cervical spondylosis of neck type were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 45 cases in each one. In the observation group, the combined therapy of needling and needling techniques at the positive reaction points was adopted. Read More

Zhongguo Zhen Jiu 2018 Sep;38(9):931-3

Department of Acupuncture, Guangdong Hospital of TCM.

Objective: To observe the differences in the clinical effects on cervical spondylosis with neck pain between the grain-moxibustion combined with acupuncture and simple acupuncture.

Methods: Eighty-eight cervical spondylosis patients with neck pain who met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 44 cases in each one. The patients in the control group were treated with conventional acupuncture, and grain-moxibustion was applied on the basis treatment of the control group in the observation group. Read More

Zhongguo Zhen Jiu 2018 Sep;38(9):925-9

Chuzhou Hospital of TCM and Western Medicine, Chuzhou 239000, Anhui Province, China.

Objective: To compare the efficacy difference among acupuncture at "seven acupoints on neck", acupuncture at regular acupoints and betahistine mesilate tablet for cervical spondylosis of vertebral artery type, and to explore the effective treatment for cervical spondylosis of vertebral artery type.

Methods: Ninety patients were randomly divided into a regular acupuncture group, a medication group and a neck-seven-acupoint group, 30 cases in each group. According to the acupoints prescription for vertigo in "11th Five-Year" Nation Textbook , the patients in the regular acupuncture group were treated with acupuncture at Fengchi (GB 20) and Baihui (GV 20), etc. Read More

Exp Ther Med 2019 Jan 2;17(1):291-297. Epub 2018 Nov 2.

Department of Orthopedics, Yongchuan Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 402160, P.R. China.

Long non-coding (lnc)RNA maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3) has been proved to participate in osteoporosis, which features inverse pathological changes to those associated with spondylosis. The present study aimed to investigate the involvement of lncRNA MEG3 in ankylosing spondylitis. Blood and open sacroiliac joint biopsies were obtained from ankylosing spondylitis patients and healthy controls, and the expression of MEG3 in those tissues was detected by reverse-transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. Read More

Turk Neurosurg 2018 Jun 4. Epub 2018 Jun 4.

Kırıkkale University School of Medicine.

Aim: Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) can have an unfavorable impact on activities of daily living and walking distance. Bilateral decompression via unilateral approach (BDUA) could be an effective method of reducing pain, increasing walking distance, and improving disability, although some reports have shown that it could have poor outcomes in the long-term, particularly in older people and females. This study was conducted to investigate the mid-term efficacy of BDUA on symptoms and quality of life of patients, especially in elderly and/ or female patients with low grade (with percent slip 25%) degenerative spondylolisthesis or without spondylolisthesis. Read More

3D Print Med 2018 Oct 10;4(1). Epub 2018 Oct 10.

Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, 505 Parnassus Avenue, M-391, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0628, USA.

Background: Minimally-invasive spine procedures provide targeted, individualized diagnosis and pain management for patients. Competence in these procedures is acquired through experience and training. We created a 3D printed model of a degenerative lumbosacral spine with scoliosis and spondylosis, using materials that mimic bone and soft tissue density under CT. Read More

Biomed Res Int 2018 17;2018:8793843. Epub 2018 Dec 17.

Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST), Irbid 22110, Jordan.

Background: Spine-related pain is a complex heterogeneous condition. Excessive reliance on radiological imaging might lead to overdiagnosis of incidental asymptomatic spinal changes and unnecessary surgery. Approaches to the clinical management of spine pain should (1) identify pain generators, types, patterns, and mechanisms; (2) confirm clinical suspension with a diagnostic injection; and (3) ensure that treatment is aimed at controlling pain and improving patient function rather than image-based surgical success. Read More

Med J Islam Repub Iran 2018 5;32:81. Epub 2018 Sep 5.

Department of Physiotherapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Cervical pillows are considered to be part of the therapeutic strategy in cervical spondylosis, but there is little or no convincing scientific evidence on the effectiveness of these pillows in relieving pain and disability in these patients. Hence, this study investigated the effects of ergonomic latex pillow in conjunction with routine physiotherapy versus routine physiotherapy alone on disability and pain intensity in patients with cervical spondylosis. 22 patients with cervical spondylosis in a single-blinded pilot study with a pre/post-test design were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Read More

J Clin Neurophysiol 2019 Jan;36(1):52-59

Department of Orthopedics, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

Purpose: Distal-type cervical spondylotic amyotrophy (CSA) is an uncommon syndrome associated with cervical spondylosis. The pathogenic mechanism of distal-type CSA is still unclear. The aim of the current study was to analyze central motor conduction time (CMCT) in the cases with distal-type CSA and to investigate the role of cervical cord compressive injury in the distal-type CSA. Read More

Int J Appl Basic Med Res 2018 Oct-Dec;8(4):266-268

Department of Medicine, B. R. Singh Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic (progressive) painful inflammatory rheumatic disease with genetic predisposition. Genetic susceptibility and common expression cause susceptibility to other inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease. However, cases of motor neuron disease (MND) in patients of biologically treated patients of AS have been rarely reported. Read More

Clin Interv Aging 2018 14;13:2543-2551. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Department of Orthopaedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu, China,

Objective: To investigate the early and mid-term efficacy and safety of the bridge-type ROI-C interbody fusion cage system in the treatment of cervical spondylosis with osteoporosis during anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF).

Patients And Methods: The clinical data from 24 cervical spondylosis patients with osteoporosis treated with ACDF were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were treated with ROI-C cage. Read More

Zhongguo Gu Shang 2018 Dec;31(12):1114-1118

Tengde Hospital of Zhejiang, Hangzhou 310012, Zhejiang, China;

Objective: To observe the open angle (OA), cervical curvature angle (CA), preoperative spinal cord compression rate(PSCR), postoperative spinal cord shift (PSCS) in patients with chronic compressive cervical myelopathy undergoing C3-7 single open laminoplasty, and to explore the possible mechanism and influencing factors of postoperative average spinal cord drift, so as to provide objective basis for predicting PSCS.

Methods: From May 2012 to July 2016, 32 patients with multi-segmental chronic compressive cervical myelopathy who underwent single-door laminoplasty in our department were analyzed retrospectively, including 14 cases of cervical spondylotic myelopathy, 8 cases of developmental cervical spinal stenosis with cervical myelopathy, and 10 cases of ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament. The OA of cervical spine was measured on CT, the CA was measured on X-ray, the PSCR and PSCS were measured on MRI. Read More

Front Neurosci 2018 6;12:900. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United States.

We investigated brain functional alteration in patients with chronic cervical spondylosis neck pain (CSNP) compared to healthy controls (HCs) and the effect of intervention. 104 CSNP patients and 96 matched HCs were recruited. Patients received 4 weeks of treatment. Read More

Beijing Da Xue Xue Bao Yi Xue Ban 2018 Dec;50(6):1092-1097

Research Center of Clinical Epidemicology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China.

Objective: To investigate the safety and efficacy of applying ultrasonic osteotome in patients undergoning cervical expansive open-door laminoplasty (CEOL).

Methods: In the study, 94 consecutive patients who were administrated in the spine group of Orthopedic Department of Peking University Third Hospital from March 2015 to March 2016 were reviewed retrospectively. All the patients were diagnosed as multilevel cervical spondylosis myelopathy and underwent CEOL. Read More

Biomed Pharmacother 2019 Feb 12;110:677-684. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Department of Acupuncture, Qianfo Shan Hospital, Jinan, Shandong Province, 250014, China.

Cervical spondylosis (CS), which is resulted from degeneration of cervical intervertebral disc, is a common disease seriously threatening human health and quality of life. However, there is still no effective clinic strategies for the treatment of this disease. The acupoint stimulation with needle-scalpel is a widely used approach to treat orthopedic diseases. Read More

Spine J 2018 Nov;18(11):2164-2165

Section of Neurosurgery, Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (BIONEC), University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 129, 90100, Palermo, Italy. Electronic address:

Neurospine 2018 Dec 14;15(4):296-305. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA), or total disc replacement, has emerged as an option in the past two decades for the management of 1- and 2-level cervical disc herniation and spondylosis causing radiculopathy, myelopathy, or both. Multiple prospective randomized controlled trials have demonstrated CDA to be as safe and effective as anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, which has been the standard of care for decades. Moreover, CDA successfully preserved segmental mobility in the majority of surgical levels for 5-10 years. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2018 Dec;97(49):e13534

Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China.

Study Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Anchor screw fixation and mini-plate fixation are widely used in unilateral open-door laminoplasty. There is a great controversy over the preferred fixation method. Read More

J Neurosurg Spine 2018 Dec 1:1-9. Epub 2018 Dec 1.

1Department of Neurosurgery, Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital.

OBJECTIVEThe pedicle screw-based Dynesys dynamic stabilization (DDS) has reportedly become a surgical option for lumbar spondylosis and spondylolisthesis. However, it is still unclear whether the dynamic construct remains mobile or eventually fuses. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of unintended facet arthrodesis after DDS and its association with spondylolisthesis. Read More

Neurosurg Focus 2018 Dec;45(6):E10

1Section of Neurosurgery, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland; and.

OBJECTIVESymptomatic cervical spondylosis with or without radiculopathy can ground an active-duty military pilot if left untreated. Surgically treated cervical spondylosis may be a waiverable condition and allow return to flying status, but a waiver is based on expert opinion and not on recent published data. Previous studies on rates of return to active duty status following anterior cervical spine surgery have not differentiated these rates among military specialty occupations. Read More

Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 2018 Dec 11. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Headquarters Joint Force Command (HQ JFC) of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Lago Patria, Giugliano in Campania (NA), Italy.

Study Design: Cross-sectional, retrospective, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging study, performed during cadets' selection procedures of the Italian Air Force Academy.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of spinal MR imaging findings in asymptomatic young adults (18-22 yrs) candidate to Air Force Flight.

Summary Of Background Data: Spinal MR imaging findings are frequently detected in asymptomatic subjects. Read More

J Pain Res 2018 14;11:2853-2857. Epub 2018 Nov 14.

Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Care, Virginia iSpine Physicians, PC Virginia Spine Research Institute, Inc Richmond, VA, USA.

Cervical intervertebral disc has long been considered a common source of neck pain. However, the pain caused by the disc itself has not been clearly defined so far, and its diagnosis and treatment has always been controversial. Degenerative cervical disc has a rich supply of nerve fibers, is prone to inflammatory reactions, and is susceptible to pain that can be provoked by disc stimulation or distention, and can be eliminated by block. Read More

Neurospine 2018 Dec 4;15(4):388-393. Epub 2018 Sep 4.

Department of Neurosurgery, Spinal Disorders Center, Fujieda Heisei Memorial Hospital, Fukui, Japan.

Objective: Computed tomography following myelography (CTM) revealed an unusual flow of contrast dye into the anterior median fissure (AMF) in a patient with cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Since then, several AMF configurations have been observed on CTM. Therefore, we evaluated morphological patterns of the AMF on CTM and investigated the significance and mechanisms of contrast dye flow into the AMF. Read More

J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2019 Feb 2;90:681-688. Epub 2018 Oct 2.

Cemter for NeuroTrauma Research, Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery,Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States. Electronic address:

Experiments have been conducted using isolated tissues of the spine such as ligaments, functional units, and subaxial cervical spine columns. Forces and or moments under external loading can be obtained at the ends of these isolated/segmented preparations; however, these models require fixations at the end(s). To understand the response of the entire cervical spine without the artificial boundary/end conditions, it is necessary to use the whole body human cadaver in the experimental model. Read More

World Neurosurg 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Department of Neurosurgery, Eunpyeong St. Mary's Hospital, Seoul, South Korea. Electronic address:

Purpose: To evaluate differences between thicknesses of the ligamentum flavum (LF) and diameter of the spinal canal in different neck positions in patients with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) and patients with cervical degenerative spondylosis (CDS) using cervical dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods: Eighty-eight patients (66 CDS and 22 OPLL) who underwent neutral and dynamic MRI at our institute from February 2014 to July 2017 were the subjects of this retrospective study. Canal diameters and LF thicknesses were measured and Muhle's grades were determined in neutral and dynamic MRI from C2-C3 to C7-T1. Read More

J Musculoskelet Neuronal Interact 2018 Dec;18(4):551-556

Department of Orthopedics, Shanghai Songjiang District Central Hospital, Shanghai, P.R.China.

Objective: Τo investigate the effect of NF-kB signaling pathway on the expression of MIF, TNF-α, and IL-6 in the regulation of disc degeneration.

Methods: The disc tissue was taken from 56 patients with cervical spondylosis. According to the preoperative MRI and intraoperative disc herniation, the patients were divided into two groups: degeneration group and herniation group. Read More

Zhonghua Wai Ke Za Zhi 2018 Dec;56(12):881-884

In order to standardize the surgical care and perioperative management for patients with cervical spondylosis, the Editorial Board of has organized the several meetings with certain experienced spine surgeons regarding prevent complications related to surgical procedure, ensure the treatment safety as well as in improving the outcome efficacy. In the meantime, the relevant focused issues and repeated consulting have been reviewed and presented on a larger spectrum. By 2 years efforts, the consensus has been developed for patients with different types of cervical spondylosis. Read More

Neurocirugia (Astur) 2018 Oct 25. Epub 2018 Oct 25.

Servicio de Neurocirugía, Módulo de Columna, Hospital Regional 1° de Octubre, ISSSTE, Mexico City, Mexico.

Spinal cord teratomas are rare. There are few reports of teratomas affecting the cervical spine and their association with spondylotic radiculopathy has not been described. A 59-year-old woman with history of fecal incontinence attended with cervical radicular pain radiating to upper limbs. Read More

Sci Rep 2018 Nov 27;8(1):17430. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

Institute of Computing Technology(ICT), Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS), Beijing, China.

Cervical spondylosis (CS), a most common orthopedic diseases, is mainly identified by the doctor's judgment from the clinical symptoms and cervical change provided by expensive instruments in hospital. Owing to the development of the surface electromyography (sEMG) technique and artificial intelligence, we proposed a convenient non-harm CS intelligent identify method EasiCNCSII, including the sEMG data acquisition and the CS identification. Faced with the limit testable muscles, the data acquisition method are proposed to conveniently and effectively collect data based on the tendons theory and CS etiology. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2018 Nov;97(47):e13368

Department of General and Gastroenterological Surgery.

Rationale: Hepatic portal vein gas (HPVG) is known as a sign of a lethal condition resulting from bowel necrosis. Recently, the detection rate of non-life-threatening cases of HPVG has increased due to the technological development of imaging, i.e. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2018 Nov;97(47):e13327

Laminectomy is an effective surgical treatment for multi-segment cervical spondylotic myelopathy (M-CSM) but usually results in C5 palsy. Some surgical techniques to restore the spinal sequence, increase the intervertebral foramen diameter, and limit the spinal cord drift distance have been proposed; however, it is unclear whether these procedures can avoid this complication.To investigate the clinical efficacy of limited laminectomy and foraminal decompression with fixation (LLFDF) for improving neurological recovery and preventing C5 palsy. Read More

Dis Aquat Organ 2018 Nov;131(2):95-105

South Australian Museum, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia.

Studies of skeletal pathology of marine mammals can contribute to conservation measures, yet few have focused on causative factors. Museums hold vast collections of skeletons relevant to this knowledge gap. Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin Tursiops aduncus carcasses (n = 162) were collected from Gulf St Vincent (GSV) and Spencer Gulf (SG), South Australia (SA), between 1988 and 2013, and post-mortem examinations were carried out. Read More

Pain Med 2018 Nov 16. Epub 2018 Nov 16.

Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science, College of Pharmacy, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA.

Background: Back pain is a very prevalent complaint, affecting two-thirds of the US population, and it accounts for $100 billion annually in health care expenditures. The occurrence of depression has been reported in existing literature among patients with back pain, but there is limited information regarding health care expenditures among patients with back pain and concurrent depression.

Objective: To assess excess total and subtypes of health care expenditures among adults with spondylosis, intervertebral disc disorders, and other back problems who reported having depression compared with those without depression in the United States. Read More

Lasers Med Sci 2018 Nov 15. Epub 2018 Nov 15.

Orthopaedic Department, Casa di Cura Villa Betania, Rome, Italy.

The aim of the study was to compare the effect of high-intensity laser therapy (HILT) and a combination of ultrasound (US) treatment and transcutaneous nerve stimulation (TENS) on pain, range of motion (ROM), and functional activity in patients with cervical spondylosis (CS). A total of 84 patients with a mean age of 51.54 years (52 women and 32 men) affected by CS were enrolled in this study. Read More

World Neurosurg 2019 Feb 9;122:e1059-e1068. Epub 2018 Nov 9.

Spinal Column Biomechanics and Surgical Outcomes Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Electronic address:

Background: The pathogenesis of synovial cysts is largely unknown; however, they have been increasingly thought of as markers of spinal facet instability and typically associated with degenerative spondylosis. We specifically investigated the incidence of concomitant synovial cysts with underlying degenerative spondylolisthesis.

Methods: A literature search was performed using 4 online databases to assess the association between lumbar synovial cysts and degenerative spinal pathological features. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2018 Oct;97(43):e12893

Department of Orthopaedics, Affliated Hospital of Hebei University, Baoding.

The purpose of this study is to explore perioperative factors predicting symptomatic adjacent segment disease (ASD) after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) for patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) at 5-year follow-up.This study included 356 patients who underwent ACDF for CSM from Jan.2011 to Jan. Read More