How Reliable is the Assessment of Fusion Status Following ACDF Using Dynamic Flexion-Extension Radiographs?

Study Design: Reliability study.

Objectives: The radiographic diagnosis of non-union is not standardized. Prior authors have suggested using a cutoff of <1 mm interspinous process motion (ISPM) on flexion-extension radiographs, but the ability of practicing surgeons to make these measurements reliably is not clear.

Feasibility of a novel augmented reality overlay for cervical screw placement in phantom spine models.

Study Design: Feasibility study.

Purpose: A phantom model was used to evaluate the accuracy of a novel augmented reality (AR) system for cervical screw placement.

Overview Of Literature: The use of navigation systems is becoming increasingly common in spine procedures.

The Apple Vision Pro as a Neurosurgical Planning Tool: A Case Report.

With its recent release, the Apple Vision Pro (Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA) represents a promising technological advancement of mixed reality in the field of neurosurgery and medicine more broadly. With all new technologies, it is critical to facilitate early use and assessment of the technology to facilitate adoption by the larger medical community.

The Utility of the Validated Intraoperative Bleeding Scale in Thoracolumbar Spine Surgery: A Single-Center Prospective Study.

Study Design: Prospective, single-center study.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical relevance of the validated intraoperative bleeding severity scale (VIBe) in thoracolumbar spine surgery.

Methods: Adult patients aged 18 through 88 undergoing elective decompression, instrumentation, and fusion of the thoracolumbar spine were prospectively enrolled after informed consent was provided and written consent was obtained.

The Neurosurgeon's Dilemma-Do Antiplatelet/Anticoagulant Medications Increase the Risk of Catheter-Associated Hemorrhage in External Ventricular Drain Placement?

Objective: External ventricular drain (EVD) placement is a common neurosurgical procedure that can be performed at bedside. A frequent complication following EVD placement is catheter-associated hemorrhage (CAH). The hemorrhage itself is rarely clinically significant but may be complicated in patients taking anticoagulant or antiplatelet (AC/AP) medications.

A 10-Year Retrospective Review on the Use of Prophylactic Spinal Reconstruction in Spinal Surgery Involving High-Risk Patients.

Background: Spinal surgeries are being offered to a broader patient population who are both medically and surgically complex. History of prior spinal surgery, advanced age, and presence of comorbidities, such as obesity, malnutrition, steroid use, and tobacco use, are risk factors for postoperative complications. Prophylactic spinal reconstruction at the time of spinal surgery has been shown to have improved outcomes and decreased wound complications; however, outcomes focusing specifically on complex patients with a history of previous spinal surgery (or surgeries) have not been well described.

Focused Ultrasound Central Lateral Thalamotomy for the Treatment of Refractory Neuropathic Pain: Phase I Trial.

Background And Objectives: Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) central lateral thalamotomy (CLT) has not yet been validated for treating refractory neuropathic pain (NP). Our aim was to assess the safety and potential efficacy of MRgFUS CLT for refractory NP.

Methods: In this prospective, nonrandomized, single-arm, investigator-initiated phase I trial, patients with NP for more than 6 months related to phantom limb pain, spinal cord injury, or radiculopathy/radicular injury and who had undergone at least one previous failed intervention were eligible.

Midpoint of C7 Lateral Mass Serves as an Accurate Reference Point for the Placement of T1 Pedicle Screws: An Anatomic Study.

Background And Objectives: Free-hand placement of T1 pedicle screws can often be challenging. A reliable free-hand technique for placement of T1 pedicle screws can overcome some of the difficulties associated with poor fluoroscopy in this region. The purpose of this study was to propose a novel anatomic landmark for accurate identification of the T1 entry point using the midpoint of the C7 lateral mass as a reference point.

Surgical Decompression of Traumatic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Study Comparing Real-Time Intraoperative Ultrasound After Laminectomy With Postoperative MRI and CT Myelography.

Background: Decompression of the injured spinal cord confers neuroprotection. Compared with timing of surgery, verification of surgical decompression is understudied.

Objective: To compare the judgment of cervical spinal cord decompression using real-time intraoperative ultrasound (IOUS) following laminectomy with postoperative MRI and CT myelography.

Proposal of a Management Algorithm to Predict the Need for Expansion Duraplasty in American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale Grades A-C Traumatic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury Patients.

Expansion duraplasty to reopen effaced subarachnoid space and improve spinal cord perfusion, autoregulation, and spinal pressure reactivity index (sPRX) has been advocated in patients with traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (tCSCI). We designed this study to identify candidates for expansion duraplasty, based on the absence of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) interface around the spinal cord on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in the setting of otherwise adequate bony decompression. Over a 61-month period, 104 consecutive American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) grades A-C patients with tCSCI had post-operative MRI to assess the adequacy of surgical decompression.

Radiculopathy with concomitant sacroiliac dysfunction and lumbosacral degenerative disease: illustrative case.

Background: The sacroiliac joint (SIJ) is an important cause of low back pain and referred leg pain (RLP). Pain from SIJ dysfunction may occur in isolation or may result from a combination with lumbosacral area-mediated pain. SIJ fusion is one treatment modality for medically refractory symptoms and may also have a role in the treatment of RLP.

Predicting Length of Stay After Thoracolumbar Trauma: A Single-Center, Retrospective Analysis.

Background: Length of stay (LOS) is a meaningful outcome measure for more efficient and effective quality of care. However, algorithms to predict LOS have yet to be created for patients who undergo surgical management for traumatic spinal fractures.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to (1) identify preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative factors associated with increased LOS and (2) create predictive formulas to estimate LOS in thoracolumbar trauma patients who undergo surgical correction.

An updated management algorithm for incorporating minimally invasive techniques to treat thoracolumbar trauma.

Objective: Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) techniques can effectively stabilize and decompress many thoracolumbar injuries with decreased morbidity and tissue destruction compared with open approaches. Nonetheless, there is limited direction regarding the breadth and limitations of MIS techniques for thoracolumbar injuries. Consequently, the objectives of this study were to 1) identify the range of current practice patterns for thoracolumbar trauma and 2) integrate expert opinion and literature review to develop an updated treatment algorithm.

Effect of Surgical Setting on Cost and Hospital Reported Outcomes for Single-Level Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion.

Background: Hospitals seek to reduce costs and improve patient outcomes by decreasing length of stay (LOS), 30-day all-cause readmissions, and preventable complications. We evaluated hospital-reported outcome measures for elective single-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusions (ACDFs) between tertiary (TH) and community hospitals (CH) to determine location-based differences in complications, LOS, and overall costs.

Methods: Patients undergoing elective single-level ACDF in a 1-year period were retrospectively reviewed from a physician-driven database from a single medical system consisting of 1 TH and 4 CHs.

The Effect of Sacroiliac Fusion and Pelvic Fixation on Rod Strain in Thoracolumbar Fusion Constructs: A Biomechanical Investigation.

Study Design: In vitro biomechanical study.

Objective: Investigate effects of sacroiliac joint (SIJ) fusion and iliac fixation on distal rod strain in thoracolumbar fusions.

Summary Of Background Data: Instrument failure is a multifactorial, challenging problem frequently encountered by spinal surgeons.

Enhanced Safety of Pedicle Subtraction Osteotomy Using Intraoperative Ultrasound.

Background: Pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO) can improve sagittal alignment but carries risks, including iatrogenic spinal cord and nerve root injury. Critically, during the reduction phase of the technique, medullary kinking or neural element compression can lead to neurologic deficits.

Methods: We describe 3 cases of thoracic PSO and evaluate the feasibility, findings, and utility of intraoperative ultrasound in this setting.

SUR1, newly expressed in astrocytes, mediates neuropathic pain in a mouse model of peripheral nerve injury.

Background: Neuropathic pain following peripheral nerve injury (PNI) is linked to neuroinflammation in the spinal cord marked by astrocyte activation and upregulation of interleukin 6 (IL6 chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2) and chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 (CXCL1), with inhibition of each individually being beneficial in pain models.

Methods: Wild type (WT) mice and mice with global or -cre- or -cre/ERT2-driven /SUR1 deletion or global deletion underwent unilateral sciatic nerve cuffing. WT mice received prophylactic (starting on post-operative day [pod]-0) or therapeutic (starting on pod-21) administration of the SUR1 antagonist, glibenclamide (10 µg IP) daily.

Efficacy of Early (≤ 24 Hours), Late (25-72 Hours), and Delayed (>72 Hours) Surgery with Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Confirmed Decompression in American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale Grades C and D Acute Traumatic Central Cord Syndrome Caused by Spinal Stenosis.

The therapeutic significance of timing of decompression in acute traumatic central cord syndrome (ATCCS) caused by spinal stenosis remains unsettled. We retrospectively examined a homogenous cohort of patients with ATCCS and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evidence of post-treatment spinal cord decompression to determine whether timing of decompression played a significant role in American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) motor score (AMS) 6 months following trauma. We used the test, analysis of variance, Pearson correlation coefficient, and multiple regression for statistical analysis.

Trends in Demographics and Markers of Injury Severity in Traumatic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury.

Over the past four decades, there have been progressive changes in the epidemiology of traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI). We assessed trends in demographic and injury-related variables in traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (tCSCI) patients over an 18-year period at a single Level I trauma center. We included all magnetic resonance imaging-confirmed tCSCI patients ≥15 years of age for years 2001-2018.

A unique case of brain abscess treated with intracavitary amphotericin.

Here we present a case of a poorly controlled diabetic who developed extensive rhinocerebral mucormycosis. Systemic and intrathecal amphotericin were not able to improve his life threatening infection. Therefore, salvage therapy with intracavitary amphotericin B deoxycholate was used to instill antifungal therapy directly into the patient's brain abscess.

Risk Factors for Hypoglycemia with the Use of Enteral Glyburide in Neurocritical Care Patients.

Objective: Intravenous glyburide has demonstrated safety when used for attenuation of cerebral edema, although safety data are lacking for enteral glyburide when used for this indication. We aimed to determine the prevalence of and risk factors for hypoglycemia in neurocritical care patients receiving enteral glyburide.

Methods: We performed a retrospective case-control chart review (hypoglycemia vs.

Spinal arachnoiditis leading to recurrent reversible myelopathy: A case report.

: A patient followed in the outpatient spinal cord injury support clinic at a VA Medical Center with a prior remote history of a gunshot wound to the back and multiple prior myelograms presented with a recurrent waxing and waning weakness of the left lower extremity and intermittent incontinence of bowel and bladder.: During the evaluation, the patient experienced an immediate albeit temporary improvement in symptoms after a diagnostic lumbar puncture performed for CT myelogram. The symptoms of myelopathy reoccurred several weeks, but then the patient had a similar experience with rapid improvement in symptoms after an accidental fall down a flight of steps.