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Medicine (Baltimore) 2021 Apr;100(14):e24775

Department of Neurosurgery, The fifth affiliated hospital of Nanchang University (Fu Zhou first people's hospital of Jiangxi province), Fuzhou, Jiangxi, PR China.

Background: The new emerging application of decompression combined with fusion comes with a concern of cost performance, however, it is a lack of big data support. We aimed to evaluate the necessity or not of the addition of fusion for decompression in patients with lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis.

Methods: Potential studies were selected from PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library, and gray relevant studies were manually searched. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2021 Feb;100(5):e24005

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University.

Abstract: Although transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) is a widely accepted procedure, major complications such as cage retropulsion (CR) can cause poor clinical outcomes. Endplate injury (EI) was recently identified as a risk factor for CR, present in most levels developing CR. However, most EIs occurred in non-CR levels, and the features of EIs in CR levels remain unknown. Read More

J Formos Med Assoc 2021 Jan 7. Epub 2021 Jan 7.

Division of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital Taichung, Taiwan; Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Integrated Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan. Electronic address:

Background/purpose: Flat foot can alter the lower limb alignment and cause knee and back pain. To explore the association between flat foot and spinal degeneration.

Methods: By using a claims dataset containing 1 million random samples, individuals with flat foot were identified between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2013. Read More

Asian Spine J 2020 Dec 22;14(6):921-930. Epub 2020 Dec 22.

Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Kyung Hee University Hospital, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Cervical radiculopathy is characterized by neurological dysfunction caused by compression and inflammation of the spinal nerves or nerve roots of the cervical spine. It mainly presents with neck and arm pain, sensory loss, motor dysfunction, and reflex changes according to the dermatomal distribution. The most common causes of cervical radiculopathy are cervical disc herniation and cervical spondylosis. Read More

Am Fam Physician 2020 12;102(12):740-750

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.

Degenerative cervical myelopathy encompasses a collection of pathologic conditions that result in progressive spinal cord dysfunction secondary to cord compression. Patients are typically male (3: 1 male-to-female ratio), and the average age of presentation is 64 years. The exact incidence is unclear because of differences in terminology and because radiographic findings can be present in asymptomatic individuals. Read More

Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 2021 Mar;46(5):E349-E352

Department of Anesthesiology, Naha City Hospital, Okinawa, Japan.

Study Design: Case report.

Objective: To summarize the clinical manifestations and treatment of Factor XI deficiency in a patient with cervical spondylotic myelopathy.

Summary Of Background Data: Factor XI deficiency is a rare genetic bleeding disorder caused by reduced levels and insufficient activity of a coagulation factor XI. Read More

Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 2021 Apr;46(7):E458-E462

Norton Leatherman Spine Center, Louisville, KY.

Study Design: Multicenter retrospective study.

Objective: Flexion-extension radiographs are frequently used to assess motion in patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis. However, they expose patients to additional radiation and increase cost. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2020 Oct 30;13(10). Epub 2020 Oct 30.

Orthopaedic Research Group, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.

A 26-year-old wheelchair-bound man was brought to our institute with progressive painful deformity of both lower limbs involving bilateral hip and knee for the past 5 years. The patient was wheelchair-bound for the past 18 months. He was only able to crawl to meet his locomotor demands. Read More

Asian Spine J 2020 Oct 29. Epub 2020 Oct 29.

Department of Orthopedics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.

Study Design: A retrospective analysis of data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Readmissions Database (HCUP-NRD).

Purpose: To identify the perioperative characteristics associated with 30-day and 90-day readmission due to intestinal bowel obstructions (IBOs) following posterior lumbar fusion (PLF) procedure.

Overview Of Literature: PLF procedures are used to repair spinal injuries and curvature deformities. Read More

Asian Spine J 2020 Oct 29. Epub 2020 Oct 29.

Department of Spine Surgery, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.

Cervical angina has been defined as chest pain that resembles true cardiac angina but originates from the disorders of the cervical spine. Thus, physicians and spine surgeons alike should raise awareness of this unusual condition for diagnosis and treatment. Particularly when neurologic signs and symptoms are present, there should be a strong suspicion for cervical angina in any patient with inadequately explained noncardiac chest pain. Read More

Case Rep Neurol 2020 Sep-Dec;12(3):314-320. Epub 2020 Sep 18.

University of Missouri Health Care, Columbia, Missouri, USA.

Cervical spondylotic amyotrophy (CSA) is a rare clinical condition characterized by weakness and atrophy of the upper limb with minimal to no associated sensory deficits. The detection of the disease is based on clinical features at presentation, neurological examination, electrophysiological studies, and imaging. The proposed pathophysiological mechanisms include selective damage to the ventral root or anterior horn cells of the spinal cord. Read More

BMC Neurol 2020 Oct 6;20(1):367. Epub 2020 Oct 6.

Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Orthopaedic Research Institute/Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, P. R. China.

Background: Dynamic somatosensory evoked potentials (DSSEP) can be used to disclose abnormalities of ascending sensory pathways at dynamic positions and diagnose cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). However, radiographic tests including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and dynamic X-ray are used much more widely in the management of CSM. Our study aims to clarify the correlations between several radiographic parameters and the DSSEP results, and further determine their reliability with clinical data. Read More

Global Spine J 2020 Oct 1:2192568220961357. Epub 2020 Oct 1.

University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Study Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Objectives: Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is a common syndrome of acquired spinal cord impairment caused by canal stenosis secondary to arthritic changes of the spine. International guidelines consider physiotherapy an option for mild, stable DCM; however, few studies have been conducted on nonoperative management. Read More

Int J Audiol 2021 Mar 15;60(3):227-231. Epub 2020 Sep 15.

School of Health Care Administration, College of Management, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.

Objective: This population-based study aimed to study the association between tinnitus and cervical spondylosis.

Design: A case-control study.

Study Sample: We retrieved data from the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database. Read More

JAMA Netw Open 2020 09 1;3(9):e2015015. Epub 2020 Sep 1.

The Norwegian Registry for Spine Surgery, University Hospital of Northern Norway, Tromsø, Norway.

Importance: Conflicting evidence and large practice variation are present in the surgical treatment of degenerative spondylolisthesis. More than 90% of surgical procedures in the United States include instrumented fusion compared with 50% or less in other countries.

Objective: To evaluate whether the effectiveness of microdecompression alone is noninferior to decompression with instrumented fusion in a real-world setting. Read More

Asian Spine J 2020 Sep 10. Epub 2020 Sep 10.

Neurosurgery Unit, Maria Cecilia Hospital, Cotignola, Italy.

Extrinsic compression of the subaxial vertebral artery (VA) may cause rotational occlusion syndrome (ROS) and contribute to vertebrobasilar insufficiency potentially leading to symptoms and in severe cases, to posterior circulation strokes. The present literature review aimed to report the main clinical findings, diagnostic work-up, and surgical management of the subaxial VA-ROS, the diagnosis of which can be difficult and is often underestimated. An illustrative case is also presented. Read More

J Orthop Surg Res 2020 Sep 4;15(1):381. Epub 2020 Sep 4.

Department of Orthopedics Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, No.149 Dalian Road, Zunyi, 563000, Guizhou, China.

Background: Percutaneous spinal endoscopy is a new type of surgery for the treatment of cervical disc herniation. It can avoid the complications of the classic anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) approach and the risk of adjacent spondylosis. How can we effectively improve patients' awareness of spinal endoscopy and their election of endoscopic techniques?

Objective: To analyze the compliance and clinical effect of the integrated management of the whole process in the choice of percutaneous full-endoscopic surgery for patients with cervical disc herniation. Read More

BMC Geriatr 2020 08 24;20(1):301. Epub 2020 Aug 24.

Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing, Medical University, Chongqing, China.

Background: The study was to investigate the complications rate of and risk factors for unplanned reoperation among elderly patients who underwent posterior lumbar fusion (PLF) for degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis (DLS).

Methods: A total of 1100 DLS patients who were older than 60 years were reviewed from January 2006 to December 2016. 33 patients underwent unplanned reoperations and were analysed and divided into two groups (group A: posterolateral fusion, 650 patients; group B: intervertebral fusion, 450 patients). Read More

J Bone Joint Surg Am 2020 08;102(15):e90

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

J Bone Joint Surg Am 2020 Aug;102(15):1297-1304

Department of Orthopedics, NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital, New York, NY.

Background: Although epidural steroid injection (ESI) may provide pain relief for patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis in treatment regimens of up to 4 months, it remains unclear whether ESI affects crossover from nonoperative to operative management.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed 2 groups of surgical candidates with degenerative spondylolisthesis: those who received ESI within 3 months after enrollment (ESI group) and those who did not (no-ESI group). Annual outcomes following enrollment were assessed within operative and nonoperative groups (patients who initially chose or were assigned to surgery or nonoperative treatment) by using longitudinal mixed-effect models with a random subject intercept term accounting for correlations between repeated measurements. Read More

Bone Joint J 2020 Aug;102-B(8):1062-1071

Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China.

Aims: To determine the effectiveness of prone traction radiographs in predicting postoperative slip distance, slip angle, changes in disc height, and lordosis after surgery for degenerative spondylolisthesis of the lumbar spine.

Methods: A total of 63 consecutive patients with a degenerative spondylolisthesis and preoperative prone traction radiographs obtained since 2010 were studied. Slip distance, slip angle, disc height, segmental lordosis, and global lordosis (L1 to S1) were measured on preoperative lateral standing radiographs, flexion-extension lateral radiographs, prone traction lateral radiographs, and postoperative lateral standing radiographs. Read More

Sci Rep 2020 07 14;10(1):11605. Epub 2020 Jul 14.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, 2-1E Midorigaoka, Asahikawa, Hokkaido, 0788510, Japan.

This longitudinal observational study investigated the relationship between changes in spinal sagittal alignment and changes in lower extremity coronal alignment. A total of 58 female volunteers who visited our institution at least twice during the 1992 to 1997 and 2015 to 2019 periods were investigated. We reviewed whole-spine radiographs and lower extremity radiographs and measured standard spinal sagittal parameters including pelvic incidence [PI], lumbar lordosis [LL], pelvic tilt [PT], sacral slope [SS] and sagittal vertical axis [SVA], and coronal lower extremity parameters including femorotibial angle (FTA), hip-knee-ankle angle (HKA), mechanical lateral distal femoral angle (mLDFA), mechanical medial proximal tibial angle (mMPTA) and mechanical lateral distal tibial angle (mLDTA). Read More

Pan Afr Med J 2020 7;35:103. Epub 2020 Apr 7.

Service de Chirurgie Orthopédique et Traumatologie, CHU Habib Bourguiba, Sfax, Tunisie.

Lumbosciatica is a public health problem because of its socio-professional impact. The purpose of our study is to evaluate the indication for surgical treatment and the role of each technique used. We conducted a retrospective study in the Department of Orthopaedics in Tataouine. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2020 Jul;99(27):e20764

Laboratory management office, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong, China.

Background: Cervical spondylosis (CS) is a common disease due to the modern lifestyle. Yijinjin, a kind of traditional Chinese exercise, is frequently used for the prevention of CS by Traditional Chinese Medicine doctors. However, there is no relevant systematic review show its effectiveness and safety. Read More

Sci Rep 2020 06 26;10(1):10455. Epub 2020 Jun 26.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Wakayama Medical University, 811-1 Kimiidera, Wakayama City, Wakayama, Japan.

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of cervical spondylolisthesis according to age and vertebral level and its association with degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM). This study included 959 participants (319 men and 640 women; mean age, 66.4 years) in the Wakayama Spine Study from 2008 to 2010. Read More

Sleep Med 2020 07 3;71:54-58. Epub 2020 Apr 3.

Sleep Research Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Health Care Administration, College of Management, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address:

Objective: The study objective was to evaluate the association between cervical spondylosis (CS) and a subsequent diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in light of the expected constricting impact of CS-associated cervical spine changes on the pharyngeal airway space, a key contributor to OSA.

Methods: Data were retrieved from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Dataset. A total of 98,234 patients who newly received a diagnosis of OSA were identified. Read More

Oper Orthop Traumatol 2020 Jun 28;32(3):192-199. Epub 2020 May 28.

Wirbelsäulenzentrum, Schön Klinik München Harlaching, Akademisches Lehrkrankenhaus und Institut für Wirbelsäulenforschung der PMU Salzburg, Harlachinger Str. 51, 81547, München, Deutschland.

Objective: Stable interbody fusion of the lumbosacral segment via an anterior retroperitoneal approach using an interbody spacer as an anterior stand-alone device which is fixed with four locking screws.

Indications: Degenerative disc disease without instability or deformity; adjacent segment degeneration; pseudarthrosis.

Contraindications: Translational instabilities as in spondylolisthesis at the index segment; deformities; steep sacral slope. Read More

Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 2020 Oct;45(20):1451-1458

Computational Neurosciences Outcomes Center, Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Objective: The primary objective of our study was to evaluate the surgical outcomes and complications of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) versus open surgery in the management of intermediate to high grade spondylolisthesis, and secondarily to compare the outcomes following MIS in-situ fusion versus MIS reduction and open in-situ fusion versus open reduction subgroups.

Summary Of Background Data: High-grade spondylolisthesis is a relatively rare spine pathology with unknown prevalence. Read More

Oper Orthop Traumatol 2020 Jun 23;32(3):180-191. Epub 2020 May 23.

Zentrum für Wirbelsäulenchirurgie und Neurotraumatologie, Berufsgenossenschaftliche Unfallklinik Frankfurt am Main, Friedberger Landstr. 430, 60389, Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland.

Objective: Instrumented fusion of lumbar motion segments using a minimally invasive technique.

Indications: Degenerative disc disease, segmental degeneration, degenerative spondylolisthesis, isthmic spondylolisthesis, pseudarthrosis, other spinal lumbar instabilities, disc prolapse, revision for failed back surgery syndrome, unilateral neuroforaminal stenosis, facet joint arthrosis.

Contraindications: High-grade spondylolisthesis (Meyerding grades III/IV, spondyloptosis), bilateral nerve root compression, vertebral fractures, tumors, high-grade spinal instabilities, primary spinal deformities, multilevel pathologies. Read More