Validation of a surgical invasiveness index in patients with lumbar spinal disorders registered in the Spine Tango registry.

Introduction: Being able to quantify the invasiveness of a surgical procedure is important to weigh up its associated risks, since invasiveness governs the blood loss, operative time and likelihood of complications. Mirza et al. (Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 33:2651-2661, 2008) published an invasiveness index for spinal surgery.

Incidental durotomy in decompression for lumbar spinal stenosis: incidence, risk factors and effect on outcomes in the Spine Tango registry.

Purpose: The three aims of this Spine Tango registry study of patients undergoing decompression for spinal stenosis were to: report the rate of dural tear (DT) stratified by treatment centre; find factors associated with an increased likelihood of incurring a DT; and compare treatment outcomes in relation to DT (none vs. repaired vs. unrepaired DT).

Patient outcomes after laminotomy, hemilaminectomy, laminectomy and laminectomy with instrumented fusion for spinal canal stenosis: a propensity score-based study from the Spine Tango registry.

Purpose: To compare patient outcomes and complication rates after different decompression techniques or instrumented fusion (IF) in lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS).

Methods: The multicentre study was based on Spine Tango data. Inclusion criteria were LSS with a posterior decompression and pre- and postoperative COMI assessment between 3 and 24 months.

Comparative effectiveness research across two spine registries.

Background: Comparative effectiveness research in spine surgery is still a rarity. In this study, pain alleviation and quality of life (QoL) improvement after lumbar total disc arthroplasty (TDA) and anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) were anonymously compared by surgeon and implant.

Methods: A total of 534 monosegmental TDAs from the SWISSspine registry were analyzed.

Surgical treatment of post-traumatic kyphosis in the thoracolumbar spine: indications and technical aspects.

Indications for correction of post-traumatic kyphotic deformity of the spine and technical aspects of the surgical procedure are reviewed. Surgical correction of post-traumatic deformity of the spine should be considered in patients presenting a local excess of kyphosis in the fractured area superior to 20 degrees with poor functional tolerance. Severe pain, explained by objective factors such as canal or neuroforamen compromise with or without peripheral symptoms, angular deformity, non-union, focal instability, adjacent painful compensatory deformity such as lumbar hyper-lordosis or thoracic hypo-kyphosis or lordosis is a further argument for surgery.

Lymphocoele: a rare and little known complication of anterior lumbar surgery.

Lymphocoele is a rare and little known complication with only a handful of reports available. We report two cases of lymphocoele after anterior lumbar surgery that have occurred in two different centres and discuss diagnosis and management options. The first case is that of a 53-year-old male patient undergoing two level anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) for disabling back pain due to disc degeneration in the context of an old spondylodiscitis.

Osteomyelitis caused by Bartonella henselae genotype I in an immunocompetent adult woman.

We report the first description of osteomyelitis due to Bartonella henselae genotype I in an immunocompetent middle-aged woman. The diagnosis was established by serology, histopathology, and PCR analysis of osseous and lymph node tissues. The mycobacteria growth indicator tube inoculated with the lymph node aspirate was used for PCR analysis.

Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 for treatment of open tibial fractures: a prospective, controlled, randomized study of four hundred and fifty patients.

Background: The treatment of open fractures of the tibial shaft is often complicated by delayed union and nonunion. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the use of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2; dibotermin alfa) to accelerate healing of open tibial shaft fractures and to reduce the need for secondary intervention.

Methods: In a prospective, randomized, controlled, single-blind study, 450 patients with an open tibial fracture were randomized to receive either the standard of care (intramedullary nail fixation and routine soft-tissue management [the control group]), the standard of care and an implant containing 0.