Biomechanical comparison of two different compression screws for the treatment of odontoid fractures in human dens axis specimen.

Background: Lag screw osteosynthesis for odontoid fractures has a high rate of pseudoarthrosis, especially in elderly patients. Besides biomechanical properties of the different screw types, insufficient fragment compression or unnoticed screw stripping may be the main causing factors for this adverse event. The aim of the study was to compare two screws in clinical use with different design principles in terms of compression force and stability against screw stripping.

Biomechanical comparison of three different compression screws for treatment of odontoid fractures evaluation of a new screw design.

Background: Lag screw osteosynthesis in odontoid fractures shows a high rate of pseudarthrosis. Biomechanical properties may play a role with insufficient fragment compression or unnoticed screw stripping. A biomechanical comparison of different constructed lag-screws was carried out and the biomechanical properties determined.

Microvascular Decompression for Patients With Hemifacial Spasm Associated With Common Trunk Anomaly of the Cerebellar Arteries-Case Study and Review of Literature.

Background: Few previous studies have described the origin of both anterior and posterior inferior cerebellar arteries from one vessel as a common trunk anomaly. No previous studies have clearly described the aforementioned anomaly depending on intraoperative endoscopic visualization.

Objective: To evaluate the association of a common trunk anomaly with hemifacial spasm, which makes microvascular decompression more challenging.

Heat Generation During Bony Decompression of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Using a High-Speed Diamond Drill with or without Automated Irrigation and an Ultrasonic Bone-Cutting Knife: A Single-Blinded Prospective Randomized Controlled Study.

Objective: The main objective of the present prospective, randomized, single-blinded controlled study was to measure heat during bony decompression of lumbar spinal stenosis with high-speed drills and an ultrasonic bone-cutting knife.

Methods: Ninety patients diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis were included in this study and randomized for lumbar spinal canal decompression using either a high-speed drill with automatic irrigation, high-speed drill with manual irrigation, or an ultrasonic bone-cutting knife with automatic irrigation (USBCD). For evaluation of group homogeneity, a visual analog scale pain score and neurologic findings were measured preoperatively and postoperatively.

Neuronavigation and 3D fluoroscopy-guided lag screw reduction and osteosynthesis for traumatic spondylolistheses of the axis: a path worth exploring?

OBJECTIVE In traumatic spondylolistheses of the axis, there is a marked heterogeneity of the observed injury patterns, with a wide range of the severity-from stable fractures, which can be treated conservatively with very good success, to highly unstable fractures, which should be treated surgically. A number of classification systems have been devised to assess the instability of the injuries and to derive a corresponding therapy recommendation. In particular, the results and recommendations regarding medium-severity cases are still inconclusive.

Cement leakage in pedicle screw augmentation: a prospective analysis of 98 patients and 474 augmented pedicle screws.

OBJECTIVE Loosening and pullout of pedicle screws are well-known problems in pedicle screw fixation surgery. Augmentation of pedicle screws with bone cement, first described as early as 1975, increases the pedicle-screw interface and pullout force in osteoporotic vertebrae. The aim of the present study was to identify cement leakage and pulmonary embolism rates in a large prospective single-center series of pedicle screw augmentations.