Identifying Factors for Predicting Postoperative Segmental Motor Paralysis in Patients Undergoing Anterior Cervical Spine Surgery: A Multicenter Study.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To investigate the incidence of and risk factors for segmental motor paralysis after anterior cervical spine surgery.

Summary Of Background Data: Segmental motor paralysis is a potential complication following both anterior and posterior cervical decompression procedures; however, previous studies investigating risk factors for segmental motor paralysis after anterior cervical spine surgery were limited by small sample sizes.

Comparison of Postoperative Complications and Outcomes in Anterior Cervical Spine Surgery: Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament Versus Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: To compare the frequency of complications and outcomes between patients with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) of the cervical spine and those with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) who underwent anterior surgery.

Summary Of Background Data: Anterior cervical spine surgery for OPLL is an effective surgical procedure; however, it is complex and technically demanding compared with the procedure for CSM.

The lower Osteotomy Level is Associated With Decreased Revision Surgery Due to Mechanical Complications After Three-Column Osteotomy in Patients With Adult Spinal Deformity: A Multi-Institutional Retrospective Study.

Study Design: A multi-institutional retrospective study.

Objectives: To investigate risk factors of mechanical failure in three-column osteotomy (3COs) in patients with adult spinal deformity (ASD), focusing on the osteotomy level.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 111 patients with ASD who underwent 3COs with at least 2 years of follow-up.

Augmented Reality Support for Anterior Decompression and Fusion Using Floating Method for Cervical Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament.

Anterior decompression and fusion (ADF) using the floating method for cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) is an ideal surgical technique, but it has a specific risk of insufficient decompression caused by the impingement of residual ossification. Augmented reality (AR) support is a novel technology that enables the superimposition of images onto the view of a surgical field. AR technology was applied to ADF for cervical OPLL to facilitate intraoperative anatomical orientation and OPLL identification.

Prospective Comparative Study of Dysphagia after Subaxial Cervical Spine Surgery: Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy and Posterior Longitudinal Ligament Ossification.

We prospectively investigated the postoperative dysphagia in cervical posterior longitudinal ligament ossification (C-OPLL) and cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) to identify the risk factors of each disease and the incidence. A series of 55 cases with C-OPLL: 13 anterior decompression with fusion (ADF), 16 posterior decompression with fusion (PDF), and 26 laminoplasty (LAMP), and a series of 123 cases with CSM: 61 ADF, 5 PDF, and 57 LAMP, were included. Vertebral level, number of segments, approach, and with or without fusion, and pre and postoperative values of Bazaz dysphagia score, C2-7 lordotic angle (∠C2-7), cervical range of motion, O-C2 lordotic angle, cervical Japanese Orthopedic Association score, and visual analog scale for neck pain were investigated.

Effectiveness of Lumbosacral Orthosis After Discectomy for Lumbar Disk Herniation: A Prospective Comparative Study.

Study Design: A prospective comparative study.

Objective: To investigate the benefits of postoperative application of lumbosacral orthosis after single-level discectomy for lumbar disk herniation (LDH).

Summary Of Background Data: Although many surgeons use postoperative lumbosacral orthosis for patients with LDH, there is no clear evidence to support or deny its effectiveness.

Anterior Cervical Corpectomy with Fusion versus Anterior Hybrid Fusion Surgery for Patients with Severe Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament Involving Three or More Levels: A Retrospective Comparative Study.

Various studies have found a high incidence of early graft dislodgement after multilevel corpectomy. Although a hybrid fusion technique was developed to resolve implant failure, the hybrid and conventional techniques have not been clearly compared in terms of perioperative complications in patients with severe ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) involving three or more levels. The purpose of this study was to compare clinical and radiologic outcomes between anterior cervical corpectomy with fusion (ACCF) and anterior hybrid fusion for the treatment of multilevel cervical OPLL.

Predictive Factors Affecting Surgical Outcomes in Patients with Degenerative Lumbar Spondylolisthesis.

Study Design: Post-hoc analysis of 5-year follow-up data from a prospective randomized multicenter trial.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify preoperative factors that predict poor postoperative outcomes and define clinically important abnormal instabilities in degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis.

Summary Of Background Data: Current evidence regarding prognostic factors affecting clinical outcomes after surgery for degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis is still limited.

Preoperative risk factors for delirium in patients aged ≥75 years undergoing spinal surgery: a retrospective study.

Objective: The increasing number of spinal surgeries being performed in the elderly has increased the incidence of postoperative delirium. The prediction of delirium is complex, and few studies have been performed to examine the preoperative risk factors for delirium after spinal surgery in the elderly. This study was performed to clarify such risk factors in patients aged ≥75 years undergoing spinal surgery.

Intra-articular Injection of Pure Platelet-Rich Plasma Is the Most Effective Treatment for Joint Pain by Modulating Synovial Inflammation and Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide Expression in a Rat Arthritis Model.

Background: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has emerged as a treatment for osteoarthritis (OA). However, the effect that leukocyte concentrations in PRP have on OA remains unclear.

Purpose: To clarify the optimal PRP formulation for OA treatment by comparing pure PRP, leukocyte-poor PRP (LP-PRP), and leukocyte-rich PRP (LR-PRP) in a rat arthritis model.

Fibrotic changes in the infrapatellar fat pad induce new vessel formation and sensory nerve fiber endings that associate prolonged pain.

The infrapatellar fat pad (IFP) contains nerve fiber endings and is considered to play an important role in the perception of knee pain. However, it is unclear whether and to what degree prolonged pain influences the nociceptive role of the IFP. To answer this question, we established a novel rat model of knee pain in which inflammation is restricted to the IFP.

Is Modified K-line a Powerful Tool of Surgical Decision Making for Patients With Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy?

Study Design: Prospective observational single-center study.

Objective: To evaluate anterior decompression and fusion (ADF) or posterior surgery (PS) for patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) using the modified K-line (mK-line) and to compare clinical and radiologic outcomes between these 2 techniques.

Summary Of Background Data: The authors have previously reported that insufficient posterior decompression is often seen after laminoplasty for CSM in patients with preoperative anterior clearance of the spinal cord <4 mm on the basis of the mK-line.

Time course analyses of structural changes in the infrapatellar fat pad and synovial membrane during inflammation-induced persistent pain development in rat knee joint.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common joint disease in aging societies, which is accompanied by chronic inflammation and degeneration of the joint structure. Inflammation of the infrapatellar fat pad (IFP) and synovial membrane (IFP surface) plays essential roles in persistent pain development in patients with OA. To identify the point during the inflammatory process critical for persistent pain development, we performed a time course histological analysis in a rat arthritis model.

Clinical and radiologic outcomes of bone grafted and non-bone grafted double-door laminoplasty, the modified Kirita-Miyazaki method, for treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy: Five-year follow-up.

Purpose: To clarify whether there is any difference in mid-term clinical and radiologic outcomes between bone-grafted laminoplasty (BG LAMP) and non-bone-grafted laminoplasty (non-BG LAMP) when used to treat cervical spondylotic myelopathy.

Background: Conventional BG LAMP includes bone grafting at the lamina hinge site to prevent closure of the lamina postoperatively, but it often results in segmental fusion and sometimes causes loss of cervical mobility and lordotic alignment. Non-BG LAMP can now be performed to address this problem and preserve mobility postoperatively.

Persistent synovial inflammation plays important roles in persistent pain development in the rat knee before cartilage degradation reaches the subchondral bone.

Background: The major complaint of knee osteoarthritis (OA) is persistent pain. Unlike acute inflammatory pain, persistent pain is usually difficult to manage since its pathology is not fully understood. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms of persistent pain, we established 2 different inflammation-induced arthritis models by injecting monoiodo-acetic acid (MIA) into the joint cavity and performed integrated analyses of the structural changes in the synovial tissue and articular cartilage, sensory neuron rearrangement, and pain avoidance behavior in a rat arthritis model.