Comparison of allograft bone and titanium cages for vertebral body replacement in the thoracolumbar spine: a biomechanical study.

Background: When an anterior approach to repair a burst fracture is indicated, several devices can be used to restore spinal stability (eg, bone graft, free-standing titanium cage, and expandable titanium cage).

Objective: We compare the biomechanical stability and prices of each of these systems.

Materials And Methods: Eight fresh human cadaver T11 through L3 vertebral specimens were harvested and cleaned of soft tissues.

Penetrating orbitocranial injury to the sella: case report and review of the literature.

Unlabelled: A 39-year-old woman sustained a self-inflicted transorbital penetrating injury that resulted in direct pituitary injury with hypopituitarism and decreased vision in the opposite eye. Several hormone deficiencies were detected. Even though this patient did not develop any other complications from her injury (abscess, cerebrospinal fluid fistula or pseudoaneurysm), after two years of follow-up no recovery of pituitary or visual function has occurred.

Occipito-atlantal dislocation: an uncommon case of cervical spine injury.

Occipito-atlantal dislocation (OAD) is a rare but often lethal type of spinal injury that can be found in up to 35% of traffic fatalities. Improved pre-hospital care, diagnosis, and immobilization of these patients have led to an increase in reported cases of survivors. Significant ligamentous disruption in OAD results in craniocervical instability.

Accuracy of pedicle screw placement for lumbar fusion using anatomic landmarks versus open laminectomy: a comparison of two surgical techniques in cadaveric specimens.

Objective: We determined whether the accuracy of lumbar pedicle screw placement is optimized by performing a laminectomy before screw placement with screw entry point and trajectory being guided by pedicle visualization and palpation (Technique 1). This technique was compared with a technique using anatomic landmarks for pedicle screw placement (Technique 2). The biomechanical stability of the instrumented constructs, in the absence and presence of a laminectomy, was also compared.

Augmentation of anterior lumbar interbody fusion with anterior pedicle screw fixation: demonstration of novel constructs and evaluation of biomechanical stability in cadaveric specimens.

Objective: Anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) has proven effective for indications including discogenic back pain, nonunion, and instability. Current practice involves posterior pedicle screw augmentation of the ALIF procedure (ALIF-PPS). This approach requires intraoperative repositioning of the patient for percutaneous posterior pedicle screw placement.