Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Surg Radiol Anat 2022 Mar 7;44(3):431-441. Epub 2021 Dec 7.

Department of Neurosurgery and Neurotraumatology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland.

Purpose: Although lumbar discectomy is the most common procedure in spine surgery, reports about anatomical relations between discs and prevertebral vessels are limited. Aim of this research was to investigate morphometric of the lumbar region and the relations between intervertebral discs (IVDs) and abdominal aorta.

Methods: 557 abdominal computed tomography scans were assessed. Read More

PLoS One 2021 27;16(10):e0259001. Epub 2021 Oct 27.

Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America.

The vertebral endplate forms a structural boundary between intervertebral disc and the trabecular bone of the vertebral body. As a mechanical interface between the stiff bone and resilient disc, the endplate is the weakest portion of the vertebral-disc complex and is predisposed to mechanical failure. However, the literature concerning the bone mineral density (BMD) distribution within the spinal endplate is comparatively sparse. Read More

Am J Med 2021 12 30;134(12):1483-1489. Epub 2021 Aug 30.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI. Electronic address:

Cauda equina syndrome is a potentially devastating spinal condition. The diagnosis of cauda equina syndrome lacks sensitivity and specificity, sometimes occurring after irreparable neurological damage has happened. Timely diagnosis and treatment is imperative for optimal outcomes and for avoiding medicolegal ramifications. Read More

Medicina (Kaunas) 2021 Jul 31;57(8). Epub 2021 Jul 31.

Department of Trauma Surgery, Orthopaedics and Plastic Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Robert-Koch Str. 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany.

Stabilization of the spine by cage implantation or autologous pelvic bone graft are surgical methods for the treatment of traumatic spine fractures. These methods serve to stably re-adjust the spine and to prevent late detrimental effects such as pain or increasing kyphosis. They both involve ventral interventions using interbody fusion to replace the intervertebral disc space between the vertebral bodies either by cages or autologous pelvic bone grafts. Read More

Urologia 2021 Jul 12:3915603211030230. Epub 2021 Jul 12.

Department of Urology, University of Verona, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, Verona, Italy.

Background: Anterior Lumbosacral Interbody Fusion (ALIF) is a type of back surgery with the advantages of direct access to the spinal interbody space and the potential lessening morbidity related to posterior approaches.

Purpose: To describe a rare case of left ureteral lesion from ALIF surgery diagnosed 4 months after the procedure.

Case Description: A 37-year-old Caucasian man with a long history of painful post-traumatic spondylolisthesis and degenerative L5-S1 disc disease underwent a retroperitoneal anterior L5-S1 discectomy, insertion of an interbody tantallium cage, and placement of a pyramid titanium plate fixed with screws. Read More

Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 2021 Jan;46(2):122-128

Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russian Federation.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the actual prevalence of degenerative spinal changes and their association with age in a cohort of professional soccer players.

Summary Of Background Data: Presently, there are data that athletes have more degenerative changes than nonathletes; however, the research examining the prevalence of degenerative spinal conditions among professional elite soccer players is scarce. Read More

J Clin Neurosci 2021 Jan 15;83:31-36. Epub 2020 Dec 15.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:

The purpose of this study was to report the characteristics of SIFs after ILSF and discuss its management focusing on pelvic deformation. We retrospectively reviewed all consecutive patients who underwent ILSF for degenerative disc diseases during the period between 2000 and 2017 and were diagnosed as SIF at our institute. The clinical and radiographic data were reviewed on their medical charts. Read More

Ann Palliat Med 2021 Apr 19;10(4):4944-4949. Epub 2020 Nov 19.

Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.

When patients combined thoracolumbar osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) with lumbar degenerative disease, whose main clinical manifestations are distal lumbosacral pain (DLP), the therapeutic schedule should be made cautiously. We reported an 80-year-old female presented with long-term lumbosacral pain accused of lumbar disc herniation. Percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) had been received because of OVCF at L1 vertebral body. Read More

Asian Spine J 2021 Aug 16;15(4):545-549. Epub 2020 Nov 16.

Department of Orthopedic and Spine Surgery, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Central Railway Hospital, Mumbai, India.

Conjoint nerve root (CNR) is an embryological nerve root anomaly that mainly involves the lumbosacral region. The presence of CNR during tubular discectomy raises the chances of failure in spinal surgery and the risk of neural injuries. Tubular discectomy can be challenging in the presence of CNR owing to limited visualization. Read More

Comput Biol Med 2020 08 15;123:103846. Epub 2020 Jul 15.

School of Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.

Frontal vehicle crashes have been a leading cause of spinal injuries in recent years. Reconstruction of frontal crashes using computational models and spinal load analysis helps us understand the patterns of injury and load propagation during frontal crashes. By reconstructing a real crash test and using a viscoelastic crash dummy model, spinal injury patterns were analyzed. Read More

BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2020 Jun 29;21(1):412. Epub 2020 Jun 29.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Yeouido St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 63-ro 10 Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, 07345, South Korea.

Background: Charcot spinal arthropathy, also known as Charcot spine and neuropathic spinal arthropathy, is a progressive and destructive condition that affects an intervertebral disc and the adjacent vertebral bodies following loss of spinal joint innervation. We report the first case of Charcot spinal arthropathy (CSA) associated with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-cutaneous fistula.

Case Presentation: A 54-year-old male who underwent T10-L2 posterior instrumented spinal fusion seven years prior for treatment of T11 burst fracture and accompanying T11 complete paraplegia visited our department complaining of leakage of clear fluid at his lower back. Read More

Spine J 2020 10 20;20(10):1692-1704. Epub 2020 May 20.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Electronic address:

Background Context: While burst fracture is a well-known cause of spinal canal occlusion with dynamic, axial spinal compression, it is unclear how such loading mechanisms might cause occlusion without fracture.

Purpose: To determine how spinal canal occlusion during dynamic compression of the lumbar spine is differentially caused by fracture or mechanisms without fracture and to examine the influence of spinal level on occlusion.

Study Design: A cadaveric biomechanical study. Read More

J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2020 05 13;105:103690. Epub 2020 Feb 13.

SURVICE Engineering Co, USA.

The objective of this study was to determine force-based lumbar spine injury criteria due to vertical impact using Post Mortem Human Surrogate (PMHS) experiments. Mounted personnel in military vehicles sustain loads from the pelvis in combat events such as underbody blast loadings. Forty-three post mortem human subject thoracolumbar spinal columns were obtained, screened for pre-existing trauma, bone mineral densities (BMDs) were determined, pre-test radiological images were taken, fixed at the ends in polymethylmethacrylate, load cells were attached to the ends of the fixation, positioned on custom vertical accelerator device based on a military-seating posture, and impacted at the base. Read More

Healthc Policy 2020 02;15(3):47-62

Associate Professor, School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Scientist, Institute for Work and Health, University Avenue, Toronto, ON.

Objective: The objective of this study is to examine if women are less likely than men to receive surgery following work-related musculoskeletal injury in the Canadian province of British Columbia.

Methods: The study included 2,403 workers with work-related knee meniscal tear, thoracic/lumbar disc displacement or rotator cuff tear. Probability of surgery was compared by gender using Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox proportional hazards models. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2020 Feb;99(9):e19310

Department of Spine, Wangjing Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences.

Background: Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is 1 of the most common diseases in orthopedics, which seriously affects people's daily life and brings a heavy burden on society and families. Chinese herbal medicine has been used in clinical practice for a long time and Duhuo Jisheng Decoction (DHJSD) is believed to help alleviate the symptoms of LDH. This systematic review aims to collect evidences from randomized clinical trials and evaluate the efficacy of DHJSD on LDH in order to provide a reference for clinicians and researchers. Read More

Turk Neurosurg 2020 ;30(3):416-421

Ondokuz Mayıs University, Faculty of Medicine, Neurosurgery Department, Samsun, Turkey.

Aim: To evaluate the factors affecting the clinical and radiological findings of juxtafacet cyst patients.

Material And Methods: Between January 2011 and December 2018, eight patients diagnosed with juxtafacet cyst were reviewed, retrospectively. Patient demographics; signs and symptoms; and neurological examination, radiological, and surgical findings were noted. Read More

World Neurosurg 2020 05 5;137:119-125. Epub 2020 Feb 5.

Department of Neurosurgery, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA. Electronic address:

Background: Lumbar total disc replacement is increasingly becoming a more common treatment for discogenic low back pain refractory to conservative measures. Nevertheless, several complications have been reported, including, among others, wound infection, vascular injury, retrograde ejaculation, postsympathectomy syndrome, ileus, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak. Although CSF leakage is rare, we discuss a case of CSF leakage and the diagnosis and management of CSF leakage after lumbar total disc replacement. Read More

BMJ Open 2019 09 18;9(9):e029657. Epub 2019 Sep 18.

Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.

Objective: Conflicting evidence exists to what extent manual material handling (MMH) causes lumbar disc disease, lack of evidence exist that this effect takes place especially at L5-S1 level, where the greatest moment occurs. The aim was to assess if lumbar vertebral body and disc changes are more common in people whose job involves significant MMH and, if so, to evaluate if lumbar vertebral body and disc changes are more prevalent in the lower part of the lumbar spine (L4-L5 and L5-S1).

Design: Observational, cross-sectional, with quasi-random recruitment. Read More

J Feline Med Surg 2020 06 28;22(6):521-530. Epub 2019 Jun 28.

Clinical Science and Services, The Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hatfield, UK.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate if a combination of discrete clinical characteristics can be used to identify the most likely differential diagnoses in cats with spinal disease.

Methods: Two hundred and twenty-one cats referred for further evaluation of spinal disease were included and categorised as follows: non-lymphoid neoplasia (n = 44); intervertebral disc disease (n = 42); fracture/luxation (n = 34); ischaemic myelopathy (n = 22); feline infectious peritonitis virus myelitis (n = 18); lymphoma (n = 16); thoracic vertebral canal stenosis (n = 11); acute non-compressive nucleus pulposus extrusion (n = 11); traumatic spinal cord contusion (n = 8); spinal arachnoid diverticula (n = 7); lumbosacral stenosis (n = 5); and spinal empyema (n = 3). Information retrieved from the medical records included signalment, clinical history and clinical presentation. Read More

Global Spine J 2019 May 8;9(1 Suppl):77S-88S. Epub 2019 May 8.

Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Study Design: Narrative review.

Objectives: To describe the current AOSpine Trauma Classification system for spinal trauma and highlight the value of patient-specific modifiers for facilitating communication and nuances in treatment.

Methods: The classification for spine trauma previously developed by The AOSpine Knowledge Forum is reviewed and the importance of case modifiers in this system is discussed. Read More

J Neurosurg Spine 2019 May 31;31(3):338-346. Epub 2019 May 31.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hôpital Henri Mondor, AP-HP, Université Paris Est Créteil (UPEC), Creteil, France

Objective: L5-S1 stand-alone anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) is a reliable technique to treat symptomatic degenerative disc disease but remains controversial for treatment of isthmic spondylolisthesis. In the present study the authors aimed to identify risk factors of instrumentation failure and pseudarthrosis after stand-alone L5-S1 ALIF and to evaluate whether instrumentation failure influenced the rate of fusion.

Methods: The study included 64 patients (22 [34. Read More

BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2019 May 29;20(1):259. Epub 2019 May 29.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1 Oyaguchi Kami-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-8610, Japan.

Background: There have been only a few reports of subsequent postoperative vertebral fracture following posterior spinal instrumentation fusion, especially in elderly female patients. This study attempted to evaluate the long-term prevalence of subsequent postoperative vertebral fracture in female patients aged 70 years and older who underwent spine decompression and fusion surgery with pedicle screw fixation.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed prospectively collected data from 125 patients who met our inclusion and exclusion criteria. Read More

J Neurosurg Spine 2019 May;31(3):334-337

1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Juntendo University; and.

Objective: Lumbar surgery via a lateral approach is a minimally invasive and highly useful procedure. However, care must be taken to avoid its potentially fatal complications of intestinal and vascular injuries. The object of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of intraoperative ultrasound in improving the safety of lateral lumbar spine surgery. Read More

Spine J 2019 09 19;19(9):1559-1565. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan. Electronic address:

Background Context: Dural tear represents a common complication of microendoscopic spine surgery that may lead to postoperative sequelae including insufficient decompression, cerebrospinal fluid fistula, intracranial hypotension, and subdural/intraparenchymal bleeding. The gold standard to manage intraoperative dural tears is primary repair. However, the downside of conversion to open surgery can be detrimental. Read More

Comput Biol Med 2019 04 25;107:292-301. Epub 2019 Feb 25.

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address:

Whole-body vibration (WBV) has been identified as one of the serious risk factors leading to spinal disorders, particularly in professional drivers. Although the influential factors in this area have been investigated epidemiologically, finite element (FE) modeling can efficiently help us better understand the problem. In this study, a modified HYBRID III dummy FE model which was enhanced by detailed viscoelastic discs in the lumbar region was utilized to simulate the effect of WBV on lumbar spine loads. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2019 Jan;98(1):e13970

Orthopaedic Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka.

Prospective case-control study.This study used a prospective multicenter database to investigate whether dural tear (DT) is associated with an increased rate of other perioperative complications.Few studies have had sufficient data accuracy and statistical power to evaluate the association between DT and other complications owing to a low incidence of occurrence. Read More

Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol 2019 May 2;42(5):775-778. Epub 2019 Jan 2.

MGH Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.

We describe the case of a 30-year-old patient who was referred for lumbar epidural corticosteroid injection due to right L5 radiculopathy. Two months earlier, MRI demonstrated a right large paracentral L4-L5 disk extrusion causing disabling L5 radiculopathy. The L4-L5 level was selected for interlaminar injection, using fluoroscopic guidance. Read More

Adv Gerontol 2019 ;32(5):795-803

Ural state medical University, 3 Repin str., Yekaterinburg 620028, Russian Federation, e-mail:

Based on the long-term observation of 105 representatives of the elderly and senile age, the features of the clinical picture of pain syndromes formed in the elderly and senile age on the basis of combined spinal lesions in osteoporosis and spondylarthrosis are presented, and methods of diagnosis and treatment of such patients are proposed. The main variants of symptoms developing in response to long-term tonic muscle tension in degenerative age-dependent injuries of vertebral bodies, intervertebral discs and facet joints at the level of thoracic and lumbosacral spine are shown. Pathogenetic connections of frequent urination disorders in the elderly and senile age with pathological processes in the spine and muscular-tonic pain syndromes were determined. Read More

Br J Neurosurg 2019 Feb 6;33(1):84-87. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

a Department of Neurological Surgery , Oregon Health & Science University , Portland , OR , USA.

Surgical treatment for high-grade spondylolisthesis with high sacral slope remains controversial and no definitive gold standard procedure has been identified. The Bohlman technique, in which a fibular strut is reamed posteriorly across the L5-S1 disc space in an oblique, inferior to superior trajectory, has been increasingly utilized. Recently, a Reverse Bohlman technique has been described, in which a graft is reamed anteriorly across a single disc space in a superior to inferior trajectory. Read More