Is endoscopic technique an effective and safe alternative for lumbar interbody fusion? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Study Design: Systematic review; meta-analysis.

Purpose: Lumbar degenerative disease is frequent and has a tremendous impact on patients' disability and quality-of-life. Open and minimally invasive procedures have been used to achieve adequate decompression and fusion.

An anatomical approach to the tarsal tunnel syndrome: what can ankle's medial side anatomy reveal to us?

Background: The heel is a complex anatomical region and is very often the source of pain complaints. The medial heel contains a number of structures, capable of compressing the main nerves of the region and knowing its anatomical topography is mandatory. The purpose of this work is to evaluate if tibial nerve (TN) and its main branches relate to the main anatomical landmarks of the ankle's medial side and if so, do they have a regular path after emerging from TN.

Spondylectomy for Primary Ewing Lumbar Sarcoma in Children.

Primary Ewing sarcoma in the spine is very rare, and the treatment for it is multidisciplinary. There is no consensus regarding the optimal method of local control; however, en bloc resection is associated with an improvement in survival rates. The authors report a case of a 5-year-old girl who initially presented low back pain, and was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma after being submitted to imaging studies by radiography, magnetic resonance and bone biopsy.

Azole-resistant Candida albicans Spondylodiscitis After Bariatric Surgery: A Case Report.

Case: We present a case of azole and partial caspofungin-resistant Candida albicans spondylodiscitis, after bariatric surgery with bowel perforation. Treatment included debridement and several months of anidulafungin, complemented with antibacterial therapy because of relapse for bacterial superinfection. After treatment, the infection did not recur clinically or radiologically during one and half years follow-up.

Cervical Osteoblastoma: A Case Report.

Osteoblastoma is a rare benign primary bone tumor. It accounts for 3% of benign and 1% of all primary bone tumors. The treatment goal is complete surgical resection.

Anterior fixation of odontoid fractures: results.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical and radiological outcomes of the surgical treatment in patients diagnosed with odontoid fracture who underwent open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) with screws.

Methods: This was a retrospective study with nine patients. Pain (visual analog scale [VAS]) and neurological status (Frankel scale) were assessed.