Postoperative Spine Infections.

Postoperative spinal wound infection increases the morbidity of the patient and the cost of healthcare. Despite the development of prophylactic antibiotics and advances in surgical technique and postoperative care, wound infection continues to compromise patient outcome after spinal surgery. Spinal instrumentation also has an important role in the development of postoperative infections.

Combined Type II Odontoid Fracture with Jefferson's Fracture Treated with Temporary Internal Fixation.

An 18-year-old male presented after a motor vehicle rollover accident. Computed tomography (CT) scan confirmed the diagnosis of Type II odontoid fracture. Considering the patient's young age and the limitations of C1-C2 fusion including significant loss of cervical rotation, temporary internal fixation with a lateral mass fixation of C1 and pedicle fixation of C2 without fusion was done.

A Comparative Study of Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion and Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion in Degenerative Lumbar Spondylolisthesis.

Study Design: Level 4 retrospective review.

Purpose: To compare the radiographic and clinical outcomes between posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) and lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) with posterior segmental spinal instrumentation (SSI) for degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis.

Overview Of Literature: Both PLIF and LLIF have been performed for degenerative spondylolisthesis with good results, but no study has directly compared these two techniques so far.

Access related complications during anterior exposure of the lumbar spine.

The new millennium has witnessed the emergence of minimally invasive, non-posterior based surgery of the lumbar spine, in particular via lateral based methodologies to discectomy and fusion. In contrast, and perhaps for a variety of reasons, anterior motion preservation (non-fusion) technologies are playing a comparatively lesser, though incompletely defined, role at present. Lateral based motion preservation technologies await definition of their eventual role in the armamentarium of minimally invasive surgical therapies of the lumbar spine.

Does humeral lengthening with a monolateral frame improve function?

Background: Humeral lengthening by distraction osteogenesis historically has relied on bulky circular external fixators. Advances in fixator technology have allowed for the use of monolateral frames. However, it is unclear whether and to what degree function is improved after humeral lengthening.