Outcomes and Complications of Surgery for Symptomatic Spinal Metastases; a Comparison Between Patients Aged ≥ 70 and <70.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Objective: Physicians may be deterred from operating on elderly patients due to fears of poorer outcomes and complications. We aimed to compare the outcomes of surgical treatment of spinal metastases patients aged ≥70-yrs and <70-yrs.

The lateral entry point S2 alar-iliac (L-S2AI) screw: a preoperative computed tomography analysis of adult spinal deformity patients.

Purpose: To radiographically compare lateral entry point S2-alar-iliac (L-S2AI) screw with conventional S2AI (C-S2AI) and conventional iliac screw (CIS) lengths and trajectories.

Methods: Twenty-five preoperative CT scans of consecutive patients undergoing adult spinal deformity realignment surgery over a random 2-year period were analysed. Maximum in-bone length, caudal and lateral trajectories of CIS, C-S2AI, and L-S2AI screws were measured and compared using One-way ANOVA with Tukey's post hoc tests.

Making a Traditional Spine Surgery Clinic Telemedicine-Ready in the "New Normal" of Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Study Design: An original article describing a comprehensive methodology for making a traditional spine surgery clinic telemedicineready in terms of logistical considerations and workflow.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to promote the use of telemedicine via videoconferencing to reduce human exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and reduce the risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission at outpatient clinics.

Overview Of Literature: The COVID-19 pandemic is the biggest healthcare crisis in the 21st century.

Fulcrum to Generate Maximum Extension of the Spine and Hip-Proposing A New Strategy using EOS Imaging for Patient-specific Assessment of Degenerated Lumbar Spines.

Study Design: A retrospective, radiographic comparative study conducted in a single academic institution.

Objective: This study aims to compare fulcrum extension with conventional extension imaging to determine maximum "hip lordosis" (HL), an important novel patient-specific parameter in spinal realignment surgery, as well as understand the extension capabilities of the lower lumbar spine, which together, are key contributors to whole-body balancing.

Summary Of Background Data: Recent literature recognizes the hip as an important contributor to whole-body lordosis beyond a compensator for spinal imbalance.

Non-Fusion Surgical Correction of Thoracic Idiopathic Scoliosis Using a Novel, Braided Vertebral Body Tethering Device: Minimum Follow-up of 4 Years.

Unlabelled: Anterior vertebral body tethering to effect scoliosis correction in a growing spine has been shown to work with varying degrees of success. This report describes the mid-term results of this technique using a new device composed of a braided ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) cord anchored to bone screws applied without segmental compression.

Methods: This was a single-center prospective observational study of an investigational device.

The Predictive Value of Preoperative Health-Related Quality-of-Life Scores on Postoperative Patient-Reported Outcome Scores in Lumbar Spine Surgery.

Study Design: A single-center, retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To predict patient-reported outcomes (PROs) using preoperative health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) scores by quantifying the correlation between them, so as to aid selection of surgical candidates and preoperative counselling.

Methods: All patients who underwent single-level elective lumbar spine surgery over a 2-year period were divided into 3 diagnosis groups: spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis, and disc herniation.

Using spinopelvic parameters to estimate residual lumbar lordosis assuming previous lumbosacral fusion-a study of normative values.

Background Context: Pelvic incidence (PI)=pelvic tilt (PT)+sacral slope (SS) is an established trigonometric equation which can be expanded from studying the fixed pelvis with the spine to a fixed spinopelvic complex with the remnant spine, in scenarios of spinopelvic fusion or ankylosis. For a fixed spinopelvic complex, we propose the equation termed: lumbar incidence (LI)=lumbar tilt (LT)+lumbar slope (LS).

Purpose: This study aimed to establish reference values for LI, LT, and LS at each lumbar vertebral level, and to show how LI can be used to determine residual lumbar lordosis (rLL).

How are patients influenced when counseled for minimally invasive lumbar spine surgeries? A stepwise model assessing pivotal information for decision-making.

Background Context: Although minimally invasive surgery (MIS)-transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) has many evidence-based short-term benefits over open TLIF, both procedures have similar long-term outcomes. Patients' preference for MIS over open TLIF may be confounded by a lack of understanding of what each approach entails.

Purpose: The study aimed to identify the various factors influencing patients' choice between MIS and open TLIF.

Is Intraoperative Local Vancomycin Powder the Answer to Surgical Site Infections in Spine Surgery?

Study Design: This is a retrospective cohort comparative study of all patients who underwent instrumented spine surgery at a single institution.

Objective: To compare the rate of surgical site infection (SSI) between the treatment (vancomycin) and the control group (no vancomycin) in patients undergoing instrumented spine surgery.

Summary Of Background Data: SSI after spine surgery is a dreaded complication associated with increased morbidity and mortality.

Reproducibility of sagittal radiographic parameters in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis-a guide to reference values using serial imaging.

Background Context: Knowledge of sagittal radiographic parameters in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients has not yet caught up with our understanding of their roles in patients with adult spinal deformity. It is likely that more emphasis will be placed in restoring sagittal parameters for AIS patients in the future. Therefore, we need to understand how these parameters may vary in AIS to facilitate management plans.

Differences in erect sitting and natural sitting spinal alignment-insights into a new paradigm and implications in deformity correction.

Background Context: Sitting spinal alignment is increasingly recognized as a factor influencing strategy for deformity correction. Considering that most individuals sit for longer hours in a "slumped" rather than in an erect posture, greater understanding of the natural sitting posture is warranted.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the differences in sagittal spinal alignment between two common sitting postures: a natural, patient-preferred posture; and an erect, investigator-controlled posture that is commonly used in alignment studies.

How the spine differs in standing and in sitting-important considerations for correction of spinal deformity.

Background Context: The current prevailing school of thought in spinal deformity surgery is to restore sagittal balance with reference to the alignment of the spine when the patient is standing. This strategy, however, likely accounts for increased rates of proximal junctional failure.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences between the spine in standing and sitting positions as these may elucidate reasons for deformity correction failure.

A rare case of multiregional spinal stenosis: clinical description, surgical complication, and management concept review.

Study Design Case report and literature review. Objective Multiregional spinal stenosis (MRSS) has not been described in the English literature, although a few studies report the concept of tandem spinal stenosis. Due to the concurrent spinal stenosis occurring in three separate regions of the spine, clinical presentation of MRSS may be less distinct, and its surgical treatment priorities and challenges differ from single-region spinal stenosis.

Factors affecting curve flexibility in skeletally immature and mature idiopathic scoliosis.

Background: The determination of factors affecting curve flexibility is important in idiopathic scoliosis patients with regard to the Risser sign. The objective of this retrospective study was to identify factors affecting curve flexibility in patients with skeletally immature and mature idiopathic scoliosis.

Methods: The records of all patients with idiopathic scoliosis who received surgical treatment from July 2001 to August 2008 at our hospital were screened.

Learning curve of computer-assisted navigation system in spine surgery.

Background: Spine surgery using computer-assisted navigation (CAN) has been proven to result in low screw misplacement rates, low incidence of radiation exposure and excellent operative field viewing versus the conventional intraoperative image intensifier (CIII). However, as we know, few previous studies have described the learning curve of CAN in spine surgery.

Methods: We performed two consecutive case cohort studies on pedicel screw accuracy and operative time of two spine surgeons with different experience backgrounds, A and B, in one institution during the same period.