Publications by authors named "J Smirniotopoulos"

Chronic low back pain represents a leading cause of global disability, but can often be complex in etiology, with multiple pain generators contributing to patient discomfort. Anterior column low back pain involves the vertebral bodies and discs, with the vertebral body endplates now known to be a significant pain generator. Vertebrogenic low back pain secondary to irritation of the basivertebral nerve presents as axial discomfort, worse with forward flexion, and with concomitant Type I or II Modic changes on MRI.

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Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a musculoskeletal disorder characterized by articular cartilage degeneration and chronic inflammation, affecting one in five people over 40 years old. The purpose of this study was to provide an overview of traditional and novel minimally invasive treatment options and role of artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline the diagnostic process of KOA. This literature review provides insights into the mechanisms of action, efficacy, complications, technical approaches, and recommendations to intra-articular injections (corticosteroids, hyaluronic acid, and plate rich plasma), genicular artery embolization (GAE), and genicular nerve ablation (GNA).

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Purpose: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of large-bore percutaneous biliary access techniques for cholangioscopy-assisted gallstone extraction in patients with a history of acute calculous cholecystitis who are poor surgical candidates.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients who underwent percutaneous cholangioscopy for gallstone extraction using large-bore access (24 or 30 F) at 2 large academic centers from September 2020 and August 2022. Technical success, procedure duration, fluoroscopy time, immediate postprocedural symptom reduction, 3-month symptom-free outcomes, and adverse events (AEs) were assessed.

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Purpose: Multidisciplinary tumor boards (MTBs) integrate clinical, molecular, and radiological information and facilitate coordination of neuro-oncology care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, our MTB transitioned to a virtual and multi-institutional format. We hypothesized that this expansion would allow expert review of challenging neuro-oncology cases and contribute to the care of patients with limited access to specialized centers.

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