bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
New prognostic factors for adjacent-segment degeneration after one-stage 360° fixation for spondylolytic spondylolisthesis: special reference to the usefulness of pelvic incidence angle
Authors: Park Jeong Yoon , Cho Yong Eun , Kuh Sung Uk , Cho Jun Hyung , Chin Dong Kyu , Jin Byung Ho , Kim Keun Su 
Published: January 2008

Object.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between adjacent-segment degeneration (ASD) and pelvic parameters in the patients with spondylolytic spondylolisthesis. Sagittal balance is the most important risk and prognostic factor in the development of ASD. The pelvic incidence angle (PIA) is an important anatomical parameter in determining the sagittal curvature of the spine and in the individual variability of the sacral slope and the lordotic curve. Thus, the authors evaluated the relationship between the pelvic parameters and the ASD.

Methods.
Among 132 patients with spondylolytic spondylolisthesis who underwent surgery at their institution, the authors selected patients in whom a one-stage, single-level, 360° fixation procedure was performed for Grade I spondylolisthesis and who underwent follow-up for more than 1 year. Parameters in 34 patients satisfied these conditions. Of the 34 patients, seven had ASD (Group 1) and 27 patients did not have ASD (Group 2). The investigators measured degree of spondylolisthesis, lordotic angle, sacral slope angle (SSA), pelvic tilt angle (PTA), PIA, and additional parameters pre-and postoperatively. The radiographic data were reviewed retrospectively.

Results.
The population consisted of nine men and 25 women whose mean age was 48.9 ± 9 years (± standard deviation) (range 28–65 years). Seven patients developed ASD after undergoing fusion. Of all the parameters, pre-and postoperative degree of spondylolisthesis, segmental lordosis, lordotic angle, SSA, preoperative PTA, and pre-operative PIA did not differ significantly between the two groups; only postoperative PTA and PIA were significantly different.

Conclusions.
The development of ASD is closely related to postoperative PIA and PTA, not preoperative PIA and PTA. The measurement of postoperative PIA can be used as a new indirect method to predict the ASD.
Thoracic ossification of the human ligamentum flavum: histopathological and immunohistochemical findings around the ossified lesion
Authors: Yayama Takafumi , Uchida Kenzo , Kobayashi Shigeru , Kokubo Yasuo , Sato Ryuichiro , Nakajima Hideaki , Takamura Takaharu , Bangirana Alexander , Itoh Hiroshi , Baba Hisatoshi 
Published: January 2008

Object.
The object of this study was to histopathologically and immunohistochemically characterize ossification of the ligamentum flavum (OLF) in samples of the thoracic spine harvested en bloc during surgery and to enhance the understanding of the ossifying process, particularly calcification and ossification.

Methods.
Samples of OLF plaque were obtained en bloc from 43 patients who underwent posterior decompression. The histopathological findings were correlated with radiological subtypes using computed tomography. The expression of type I and type II collagens, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), transforming growth factor (TGF)β, and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)–2 was investigated.

Results.
Surgical decompression using the posterior floating and en bloc resection technique resulted in neurological improvement in 40 of 43 patients. Progression of the OLF lesion longitudinally and medially was associated with significant degeneration of elastic fibers, fiber bundle derangement, decrements in fiber diameter, and fragmentation. Calcification and ossification paralleled the degeneration of the elastic fibers, extended more medially, and fused in the central area. Expression of BMP-2, TGFβ, and VEGF was significant in chondrocytes in the calcified cartilage and fibrocartilage layers, especially around the calcified front.

Conclusions.
Histopathologically, the progress of calcification and ossification was closely associated with the degeneration of elastic fibers and with significant expression of BMP-2, TGFβ, and VEGF in the ossification front.
Lateral intramuscular planar approach to the lumbar spine and sacrum
Authors: Weaver Edgar Newman 
Published: January 2008

✓The goal of this study was to establish a much less invasive method for access to the lateral lumbar spine for posterolateral fusion and pedicle screw (PS) placement.
The technique was developed through knowledge of the anatomy literature and the author's clinical experience in more than 90 completed cases.
The lateral intramuscular planar approach provides a much less invasive access to the lateral aspect of the lumbar spine and sacrum. An invariant intramuscular plane, poorly described in the anatomical literature, is ideal for postero-lateral fusion and/or PS placement from L-3 caudally. The approach requires essentially no resection of the multifidus muscle, or of the pars thoracis of the erector spinae.
Trends in pathological vertebral fractures in the United States: 1993 to 2004
Authors: Lad Shivanand P. , Patil Chirag G. , Lad Eleonora Maries , Boakye Maxwell 
Published: January 2008

Object
Pathological vertebral fractures (PVFs) are an increasingly important cause of disability and have many clinical and economic implications. The authors examined trends in epidemiology and surgical management of pathological vertebral fractures in the US between 1993 and 2004.

Methods
The Nationwide Inpatient Sample database was used to analyze data collected from 1993 through 2004 to determine general trends in PVFs. Patients with PVFs were identified using the appropriate International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9) diagnostic code (ICD-9 733.13). Trends in vertebral augmentation procedures and spinal fusions as well as comparison with incidences of other major pathological fractures, such as hip and upper limb, were also examined.

Results
In 2004, there were more than 55,000 inpatient admissions for PVFs. The majority of patients admitted were women (78%) in the 65 to 84 year–age group (60%). Medicare accounted for greater than 80% of insurance, and nearly 50% of all patients were admitted from the emergency department. The mean duration of hospitalization has continued to decrease, from 8.1 days in 1993 to 5.4 days in 2004. The mortality rate has remained relatively constant at approximately 1.5%. The discharge disposition has continued to change with an increasing number of patients being discharged to other institutions such as nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities. There was a staggering increase in the number of vertebral augmentation procedures performed between 1993 and 2004. The “national bill” for inpatient hospitalizations for PVFs totaled $1.3 billion in 2004.

Conclusions
With the continued aging of the population, PVFs represent an important cause of disability and a significant source of healthcare resource utilization.
In vitro biomechanical comparison of an anterior and anterolateral lumbar plate with posterior fixation following single-level anterior lumbar interbody fusion
Authors: Johnson Wesley M. , Nichols Tann A. , Jethwani Deepika , Guiot Bernard H. 
Published: January 2008

Object
Anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) is often supplemented with instrumentation to increase stability in the spine. If anterior plate fixation provided the same stability as posterior pedicle screw fixation (PSF), then a second approach and its associated morbidity could be avoided.

Methods
Seven human cadaveric L4–5 spinal segments were tested under three conditions: ALIF with an anterior plate, ALIF with an anterolateral plate, and ALIF supplemented by PSF. Range of motion (ROM) was calculated for flexion/extension, lateral bending, and axial torsion and compared among the three configurations.

Results
There were no significant differences in ROM during flexion/extension, lateral bending, or axial torsion among any of the three instrumentation configurations.

Conclusions
The addition of an anterior plate or posterior PS/rod instrumentation following ALIF provides substantially equivalent biomechanical stability. Additionally, the position of the plate system, either anterior or anterolateral, does not significantly affect the stability gained.
Cortex of the pedicle of the vertebral arch. Part I: deformation characteristics during screw insertion
Authors: Serkan İnceoğlu , Kılınçer Cumhur , Tami Andrea , McLain Robert F. 
Published: January 2008

Object
Elastic deformation has been proposed as a mechanism by which vertebral pedicles can maintain pullout strength when conical screws are backed out from full insertion. The response to the insertion technique may influence both the extent of deformation and the risk of acute fracture during screw placement. The aim of this study was to determine the deformation characteristics of the lumbar pedicle cortex during screw placement.

Methods
Lumbar pedicles with linear strain gauges attached at the lateral and medial cortices were instrumented using 7.5-mm pedicle screws with or without preconditioning by insertion and removal of 6.5-mm screws. The strains and elastic recoveries of the medial and lateral cortices were determined.

Results
Mean medial wall strains tended to be lower than mean lateral wall strains when the 6.5-mm and 7.5-mm screw data were pooled (p = 0.07). After the screws had been removed, 71 to 79% of the deformation at the lateral cortex and 70 to 96% of the deformation at the medial cortex recovered. When inserted first, the 7.5-mm screw caused more plastic deformation at the cortex than it did when inserted after the 6.5-mm screw. Occasional idiosyncratic strain patterns were observed. No gross fracture was observed during screw placement.

Conclusions
Screw insertion generated plastic deformation at the pedicle cortex even though the screw did not directly contact the cortex. The lateral and medial cortices responded differently to screw insertion. The technique of screw insertion affected the deformation behavior of the lumbar pedicles. With myriad options for screw selection and placement available, further study is needed before optimal placement parameters can be verified.
Lumbar radiculopathy caused by extradural rheumatoid nodules
Authors: Hirohashi Nori , Sakai Toshinori , Sairyo Koichi , Oba Koichi , Higashino Kosaku , Katoh Shinsuke , Yasui Natsuo 
Published: January 2008

✓The authors report on a 51-year-old woman with a 9-year history of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who presented with symptomatic rheumatoid nodules in the lumbar extradural region with compression on the L-5 nerve roots bilaterally. She had also suffered from dysesthesia in the right lower leg and intermittent claudication. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed masses compressing the dural sac, and on lumbar myelography and computed tomography myelography a filling defect at L4–5 was revealed, which was compressing the dural sac posterolaterally on both sides. The masses were surgically removed. On histological examination the typical characteristics of rheumatoid nodules were found. Soon after the operation all of the patient's symptoms disappeared.
There have been few reports on extradural rheumatoid nodules. Patients with RA usually complain of articular symptoms, and in fact the patient in the present study had been referred to the authors' institution for total hip arthroplasty. However, various symptoms other than those arising from articular lesions were found clinically. The authors believe that if patients with RA are also examined for extraarticular lesions, it is likely that these will be more frequently detected.
Intrarater and interrater reliability and validity in the assessment of the mechanism of injury and integrity of the posterior ligamentous complex: a novel injury severity scoring system for thoracolumbar injuries
Authors: Harrop James S. , Vaccaro Alexander R. , Hurlbert R. John , Wilsey Jared T. , Baron Eli M. , Shaffrey Christopher I. , Fisher Charles G. , Dvorak Marcel F. , Öner F. C. , Wood Kirkham B. , Anand Neel , Anderson D. Greg , Lim Moe R. , Lee Joon Y. , Bono Christopher M. , Arnold Paul M. , Rampersaud Y. Raja , Fehlings Michael G. , _ _ 
Published: January 2008

ObjectA new classification and treatment algorithm for thoracolumbar injuries was recently introduced by Vaccaro and colleagues in 2005. A thoracolumbar injury severity scale (TLISS) was proposed for grading and guiding treatment for these injuries. The scale is based on the following: 1) the mechanism of injury; 2) the integrity of the posterior ligamentous complex (PLC); and 3) the patient’s neurological status. The reliability and validity of assessing injury mechanism and the integrity of the PLC was assessed.MethodsForty-eight spine surgeons, consisting of neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons, reviewed 56 clinical thoracolumbar injury case histories. Each was classified and scored to determine treatment recommendations according to a novel classification system. After 3 months the case histories were reordered and the physicians repeated the exercise. Validity of this classification was good among reviewers; the vast majority (> 90%) agreed with the system’s treatment recommendations. Surgeons were unclear as to a cogent description of PLC disruption and fracture mechanism.ConclusionsThe TLISS demonstrated acceptable reliability in terms of intra- and interobserver agreement on the algorithm’s treatment recommendations. Replacing injury mechanism with a description of injury morphology and better definition of PLC injury will improve inter- and intraobserver reliability of this injury classification system.
Occipitocervical fusion after resection of craniovertebral junction tumors
Authors: Shin Hyunchul , Barrenechea Ignacio J. , Lesser Jonathan , Sen Chandranath , Perin Noel I. 
Published: January 2008

Object
Surgical access to tumors at the craniovertebral junction (CVJ) requires extensive bone removal. Guidelines for the use of occipitocervical fusion (OCF) after resection of CVJ tumors have been based on anecdotal evidence. The authors performed a retrospective study of factors associated with the use of OCF in 46 patients with CVJ tumors. The findings were used to develop recommendations for use of OCF in such patients.

Methods
The authors retrospectively reviewed the cases of 51 patients with CVJ tumors treated by their group between March 1991 and February 2004. Forty-six patients were available for follow up. Charts were reviewed to obtain data on demographic characteristics, presenting symptoms, and perioperative complications. Preoperative computerized tomography scans and magnetic resonance imaging studies were obtained in all patients. Occipitocervical fusion was performed in patients who had undergone a unilateral condyle resection in which 70% or more of the condyle was removed, a bilateral condyle resection with 50% removal, or C1–2 vertebral body destruction. Of the 46 patients, 16 had foramen magnum meningiomas, 17 had chordomas, one had a chondrosarcoma, two had Schwann cell tumors, two had glomus tumors, and eight had other types of tumors. Twenty-three (50%) of the 46 patients underwent OCF, including 15 of the 17 patients with chordomas (88%). None of the patients with meningiomas required fusion. Seventeen (71%) of the 24 patients presenting with neck pain preoperatively underwent OCF.

Conclusions
Patients presenting with neck pain had a 71% chance of undergoing OCF. Patients with chordomas and metastatic tumors were most likely to require OCF. One patient with a 50% unilateral condylar resection returned with OC instability for which OCF was required. Based on their clinical experience and published biomechanical studies, the authors recommend that OCF be performed when 50% or more of one condyle is resected.
The biomechanical evaluation of calcium phosphate cements for use in vertebroplasty
Authors: Hong Suk-Joo , Park Youn-Kwan , Kim Jung Hyuk , Lee Soon Hyuck , Ryu Kyung Nam , Park Cheol Min , Kim Yeon Soo 
Published: January 2008

Object
The authors evaluate the biomechanical properties of vertebral bodies (VBs) stabilized with calcium phosphate (CaP) cements for use in vertebroplasty in comparison with polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA).

Methods
In the first phase of the study, 73 VBs (T3–L2; thoracic region [T3–8] and thoracolumbar region [T9–L2]) were collected from seven fresh human cadavers. Compression tests were performed before and after vertebroplasty using PMMA (compression strength 80 MPa) and three kinds of CaP cements—CaP1 (5 MPa), CaP2 (20 MPa), and CaP3 (50 MPa). The authors compared the maximal compression loads (MCLs) and stiffness before and after vertebroplasty in each of the four cement groups. In the second phase of the study, 18 paired spinal units (PSUs) were collected from three fresh human cadavers, and the authors injected two types of cement selected from the first phase of the study into the lower level of six PSUs. They compared the MCLs of the untreated and two treated groups (there were six PSUs in each type of group) to analyze the tendency of inducing compression fractures in the upper level of the PSUs.
The MCLs of the PMMA-injected vertebrae were significantly increased after vertebroplasty. The MCL levels of the CaP3-injected vertebrae and the CaP2-injected thoracolumbar vertebrae were decreased from those of untreated vertebrae without being significant. The MCLs of CaP1-injected vertebrae and CaP2-injected thoracic vertebrae were significantly decreased after vertebroplasty. The stiffness of all cement groups was decreased after vertebroplasty compared with initial stiffness, significantly so in all three thoracic CaP groups. In the second compression test with PSUs, the MCLs of the CaP2- and CaP3-injected PSUs were not significantly different from those of the untreated control PSUs.

Conclusions
The CaP3-injected vertebrae restored the MCLs of human vertebrae closer to their initial levels than the PMMA-injected vertebrae did. The CaP2- and CaP3-injected PSUs showed no tendency to induce compression fractures in adjacent VBs.
Surgical treatment of 40 patients with thoracic ossification of the ligamentum flavum
Authors: Li Fangcai , Chen Qixin , Xu Kan 
Published: January 2008

Object
The authors evaluated different surgical methods used to treat thoracic ossification of the ligamentum flavum (OLF).

Methods
Data obtained in 40 patients who underwent posterior decompression for thoracic myelopathy caused by thoracic OLF were studied retrospectively. There were 32 men and eight women. All patients underwent posterior decompression in which laminoplasty was performed or laminectomy combined with lateral fusion. Every surgical specimen was stained with H & E, and scanning electron microscopy was performed in 20 cases. The mean follow-up period was 28 months. Postoperative outcomes were evaluated using a recovery scale based on the Japanese Orthopaedic Association classification. There were a total of 168 ossified segments in this series, 77.4% of which were located in the lower thoracic spine. Marginal osteophyte formation was found in 36 patients; in 32 of the 36 patients, these marginal osteophytes were located at the intervertebral space either higher or lower than the ossified segment. Scanning electron microscopy showed elastic fiber breakdown, proliferation of collagenous fibers, calcification, and OLF in the same microscopy region. Laminoplasty was performed in four patients. In three cases surgery resulted in unchanged or worse outcome (increased kyphotic deformity in two), and in one it resulted in good outcome. Laminectomy combined with lateral fusion was performed in 36 patients, in 30 cases of which it resulted in a good or fair outcome, and increased kyphotic deformity in only one. Of these 36 laminectomy-treated patients, an en bloc laminectomy-treated procedure was performed in 16 patients; in 11 of the 12 patients with lateral or diffuse-type lesions the surgery resulted in a good or fair outcome. En bloc laminectomy, however, seems ineffective in the treatment of patients with thickened, nodular-type thoracic OLF, as the procedure resulted in worse outcome in two of the four patients. The authors have thus developed a new modality of laminectomy that they have termed “separating laminectomy,” which they performed in 16 patients with thickened, nodular-type OLF; in 13 cases it resulted in a good or fair outcome, and in only one case did it result in a worse outcome.

Conclusions
The pathogenesis of thoracic OLF is mainly due to the localized mechanical stress on the ligament. Laminectomy combined with lateral fusion is the treatment of choice for thoracic OLF; furthermore, in terms of the configuration of the ossified lesion, en bloc laminectomy is suitable for the treatment of lateral-type and diffuse-type OLF, and the separating laminectomy is suitable for the thickened, nodular-type OLF.
Sacral epithelioid angiosarcoma associated with a bleeding diathesis and spinal epidural hematoma
Authors: Sanchez-Mejia Rene O. , Ojemann Steven G. , Simko Jeff , Chaudhary Uzair B. , Levy Jay , Lawton Michael T. 
Published: January 2008

✓Epithelioid angiosarcoma of bone is a rare, high-grade lesion that is highly vascular and can be associated with a bleeding diathesis. An association has been reported in angiosarcomas in other locations with coagulopathy from tumor-related disseminated intravascular coagulopathy and fibrinolysis. The authors report the case of a rare occurrence of a primary sacral epithelioid angiosarcoma associated with a large epidural hematoma and a severe bleeding diathesis.
A 25-year-old woman presented with weakness, fatigue, neck and low-back pain, and progressive left S-1 radiculopathy. Imaging studies revealed a large ventral epidural hematoma extending from the sacral region rostrally to C-2 and a vascular tumor located in the sacrum. The patient underwent a sacral laminectomy, complicated by postoperative bleeding from the wound, and required massive transfusions. Ultimately, multimodal therapy was required to obtain hemostasis, including the use of endovascular embolization, radiation therapy, and an infusion of epsilon-aminocaproic acid with heparin. This case represents the first report of a primary epithelioid angiosarcoma in the sacrum and emphasizes that the coagulopathy seen in angiosarcoma is also a feature of this epithelioid variant.
The intracranial entrance of the atlantal segment of the vertebral artery in crania with occipitalization of the atlas
Authors: Tubbs R. Shane , Salter E. George , Oakes W. Jerry 
Published: January 2008

ObjectAn anomalous vertebral artery (VA) position can jeopardize an otherwise successful procedure, such as a posterior cranial fossa decompression for hindbrain herniation, and may increase the propensity for VA occlusion.MethodsThe authors describe the detailed anatomy of the entrance site of the VA in adult human crania in which there is occipitalization of the atlas. They found that if the atlantal posterior arch or hemiarch was fused to the occiput one should anticipate encountering an anomalous osseous pathway as the VA enters into the cranium, as evidenced by this finding in 80% of their specimens. An anomalous entry pathway was present in all but one left-sided specimen in which the left posterior hemiarch was not fused to the occiput and one right-sided specimen in which there was an unfused and rudimentary posterior arch of the atlas.ConclusionsThe clinician should consider the possibility that the VA takes anomalous routes into the skull in cases in which there is occipitalization of the atlas.