Correlation Between Rod Fracture and Shear Stress: A Novel Parameter.

Background: We sought to assess the accuracy of a novel parameter proportional to the rod shear stress (RSS) in identifying patients at risk of rod fracture (RF) after surgery for correction of adult spinal deformity.

Methods: We performed a retrospective medical record review of patients aged ≥18 years treated for adult spinal deformity between 2004 and 2014 with ≥24 months of follow-up. The primary outcome was RFs identified radiographically.

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is Associated with Increased Rates of Adjacent Segment Disease Following TLIF: A Propensity Matched Study.

Background: Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a collection of connective tissue disorders which are often associated with tissue laxity and disc degeneration. However, the implications of EDS on the risk of adjacent segment disease (ASD) after transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) are not well described. The objective of this study is to compare the rates of ASD among patients with EDS and those without EDS.

Synthetic Interbody Devices and Traditional Bone Graft Are Associated With a Similar Rate of Surgical Complications After 1-2 Level Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusions.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort.

Objective: To compare the rates of all-cause surgical complications of synthetic interbody devices versus allograft or autograft in patients undergoing 1-2 levels anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) procedures.

Summary Of Background Data: Cervical degenerative disorders affect up to 60% of older adults in the United States.

No Difference in Surgical Outcomes Between Stand-Alone Devices and Anterior Plating for 1-2 Level Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion: A 1:1 Exact Matched Analysis.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort.

Objective: To compare rates of all-cause surgical and medical complications between zero-profile (ZP; stand-alone) implants versus any graft type with an anterior plate in patients undergoing 1-2 level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) for treatment of degenerative cervical myeloradiculopathy.

Summary Of Background Data: Degenerative cervical myeloradiculopathy is increasingly prevalent in older adults.

Surgeon Experience Matters: An Exact Matched Analysis of TLIF Outcomes Demonstrates No Difference in Surgical Outcomes Between Experienced Neurosurgeons and Orthopedic Surgeons.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To compare surgical and medical complications profile between neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons after transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) procedures.

Background: Studies comparing the impact of spine surgeon specialty (neurosurgery vs.

Cannabis Use is Associated With Higher Rates of Pseudarthrosis Following TLIF: A Multi-Institutional Matched-Cohort Study.

Study Design: This was a retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To compare the rates of pseudarthrosis in patients undergoing 1 to 3 level transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) procedures between cannabis users and noncannabis users.

Summary Of Background Data: Recreational use of cannabis is common, though it remains poorly studied and legally ambiguous in the United States.

Toward global availability of low-cost, patient-specific cranial implants: creation and validation of automated CranialRebuild freeware application.

Purpose: Financial restrictions limit the options for hermetically precise, patient-specific cranial implants (PSCIs) after decompressive hemicraniectomy (DHC) in low-income countries. Use of image segmentation, modeling software, and 3D printers has lowered costs associated with PSCIs. However, requirements of time and technical expertise have prevented widespread utilization.

Preoperative HbA1c and Postoperative Outcomes in Spine Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Study Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of previous studies on HbA1c in preoperative risk stratification in patients undergoing spinal procedures and provide an overview of the consensus recommendations.

Summary Of Background Data: Diabetes mellitus (DM) and hyperglycemia have been shown to be independent risk factors for increased surgical complications.

TLIF is Associated With Lower Rates of Adjacent Segment Disease and Complications Compared to ALIF: A Matched-Cohort Analysis.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort.

Objective: To compare the rate of adjacent segment disease (ASD) in patients undergoing anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) versus transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) for the treatment of degenerative stenosis and spondylolisthesis.

Summary Of Background Data: ALIF and TLIF are frequently used to treat Lumbar stenosis and spondylolisthesis.

Bariatric Surgery Before Spine Surgery is Associated With Fewer Postsurgical Complications: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Study Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis investigating the rate of adverse events after spine surgery in patients who underwent bariatric surgery (BS).

Summary Of Background Data: Obesity is an established risk factor for postoperative complications after spine surgery.

Do Obese Patients Lose Weight After Lumbar Spine Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: Obesity is a major health care concern in the United States and is associated with high rates of postoperative complications after spine surgery. Obese patients assert that weight reduction is not possible unless spine surgery first relieves their pain and concomitant immobility. We describe the post-spine surgery effects on patient weight, with an emphasis on obesity.

Lumbar Arthroplasty Is Associated With a Lower Incidence of Adjacent Segment Disease Compared With ALIF: A Propensity-matched Analysis.

Study Design: Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the rate of adjacent segment disease (ASD) between lumbar disk arthroplasty (LDA) and anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF).

Summary Of Background Data: LDA and ALIF are alternative surgical approaches used to treat lumbar degenerative disk disease.

Laminectomy With Fusion is Associated With Greater Functional Improvement Compared With Laminectomy Alone for the Treatment of Degenerative Lumbar Spondylolisthesis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Study Design: Systematic review and Meta-analysis.

Objective: To compare outcomes and complications profile of laminectomy alone versus laminectomy and fusion for the treatment of degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis (DLS).

Summary Of Background Data: Degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis is a common cause of back pain and functional impairment.

Robotic and navigated pedicle screws are safer and more accurate than fluoroscopic freehand screws: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background Context: Navigated and robotic pedicle screw placement systems have been developed to improve the accuracy of screw placement. However, the literature comparing the safety and accuracy of robotic and navigated screw placement with fluoroscopic freehand screw placement in thoracolumbar spine surgery has been limited.

Purpose: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials that compared the accuracy and safety profiles of robotic and navigated pedicle screws with fluoroscopic freehand pedicle screws.

Translating Animal Models of Ischemic Stroke to the Human Condition.

Ischemic stroke is a leading cause of death and disability. However, very few neuroprotective agents have shown promise for treatment of ischemic stroke in clinical trials, despite showing efficacy in many successful preclinical studies. This may be attributed, at least in part, to the incongruency between experimental animal stroke models used in preclinical studies and the manifestation of ischemic stroke in humans.

C1 Lateral Mass Screw Placement Through Endonasal Corridor for Purpose of O-C1 Fusion: Morphometric Analysis in Cadaveric Specimens.

Background: Odontoidectomy may pose some risks for O-C1 and/or C1-C2 instability, with previous authors reporting techniques for endonasal C1-C2 fusion. However, no technique for endonasal O-C1 fusion currently exists. We sought to describe the feasibility of endonasal anterior C1 (AC1) screw placement for endonasal O-C1 fusion.

Association between underlying autoimmune disease and small aneurysm size at rupture.

Objective: Although the role of inflammation in the development of aneurysms is established, less is known about the development of intracranial aneurysms in the setting of underlying autoimmune disease. The underlying systemic inflammatory characteristics of disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and Sjögren's syndrome may influence the development of intracranial aneurysms through common inflammatory pathways. The authors hypothesized that there is an association between underlying autoimmune disease and aneurysm growth and rupture.

An algorithm to improve lateralization accuracy of inferior petrosal sinus sampling: procedural nuances for complex patterns of venous drainage. Patient series.

Background: Inferior petrosal sinus sampling (IPSS) is a useful technique in the diagnosis of Cushing's disease (CD) when the imaging finding is negative or equivocal. Different authors have reported considerable variability in the ability to determine tumor laterality with IPSS. Here the authors present a retrospective case series of 7 patients who underwent IPSS using a systematic algorithm to improve lateralization accuracy by identifying optimal sampling sites on the basis of individual cavernous sinus drainage patterns in each patient.

Noninvasive electrical stimulation as an adjunct to fusion procedures: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Noninvasive electrical stimulation represents a distinct group of devices used to augment fusion rates. However, data regarding outcomes of noninvasive electrical stimulation have come from a small number of studies. The goal of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine outcomes of noninvasive electrical stimulation used as an adjunct to fusion procedures to improve rates of successful fusion.

Comprehensive Diagnosis and Surgical Management of Cushing Disease: Two-Dimensional Angiographic and Operative Video.

Cushing disease (CD), or hypercortisolemia secondary to an adrenocorticotropic hormone-secreting (ACTH-secreting) pituitary adenoma, is the most common etiology of noniatrogenic Cushing syndrome. The diagnostic algorithm employed in the patient with suspected CD is complex and includes consideration for inferior petrosal sinus sampling (IPSS). When workup is consistent with CD, extracapsular resection of the ACTH-secreting pituitary adenoma through the endonasal corridor is the preferred operative strategy.

The surgical history of head injury in motor vehicle collision.

Motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) are a significant cause of head injuries today, but efforts to manage and prevent these injuries extend as far back as the beginning of modern neurosurgery itself. Head trauma in MVCs occurred as far back as 1899, and the surgical literature of the time mentions several cases of children being struck by passing automobiles. By the 1930s, Dr.

The History of Anterior and Lateral Approaches to the Lumbar Spine.

Anterior and lateral approaches to the lumbar spine are commonly used today for a variety of indications. These approaches can ultimately be traced back to early attempts to treat Pott's disease. Evidence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection of the spine dates as far back as 2400 BCE, with ancient Egyptian mummies exhibiting lesions consistent with Pott's disease.