Gender Differences in Electronic Health Record Usage Among Surgeons.

Importance: Understanding gender differences in electronic health record (EHR) use among surgeons is crucial for addressing potential disparities in workload, compensation, and physician well-being.

Objective: To investigate gender differences in EHR usage patterns.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional study examined data from an EHR system (Epic Signal) at a single academic hospital from January to December 2022.

Characteristics and outcomes of patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery for axial back pain in the Michigan Spine Surgery Improvement Collaborative.

Background Context: The indications for surgical intervention of axial back pain without leg pain for degenerative lumbar disorders have been limited in the literature, as most study designs allow some degree of leg symptoms in the inclusion criteria.

Purpose: To determine the outcome of surgery (decompression only vs. fusion) for pure axial back pain without leg pain.

Bone Marrow Aspirate in Spine Surgery: Case Series and Review of the Literature.

Background With the modernization of biotechnology, there has been a concerted effort to create novel biomaterials to promote arthrodesis for spine surgery. The novel use of the stem cells from bone marrow aspirate (BMA) to augment spine surgery is a burgeoning field because these cells are considered to be both osteoinductive and osteogenic. We sought to review the evidence behind the use of BMAs in spinal fusions and report the results of our own case series.

Decompression of Lumbar Central Spinal Canal Stenosis Following Minimally Invasive Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion.

Study Design: This was a retrospective clinical series.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate radiologic changes in central spinal canal dimensions following minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) with placement of a static or an expandable interbody device.

Summary Of Background Data: MIS-TLIF is used to treat lumbar degenerative diseases and low-grade spondylolisthesis.

The influence of sagittal spinopelvic alignment on patient discharge disposition following minimally invasive lumbar interbody fusion.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the changes to spinopelvic sagittal alignment following minimally invasive (MIS) lumbar interbody fusion, and the influence of such changes on postoperative discharge disposition.

Methods: The Michigan Spine Surgery Improvement Collaborative was queried for all patients who underwent transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF)or lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) procedures for degenerative spine disease. Several spinopelvic sagittal alignment parameters were measured, including sagittal vertical axis (SVA), lumbar lordosis, pelvic tilt, pelvic incidence, and pelvic incidence-lumbar lordosis mismatch.

Relationship between initial opioid prescription size and likelihood of refill after spine surgery.

Background Context: Best practices in opioid prescribing after elective surgery have been developed for most surgical subspecialties, including spine. However, some percentage of patients will become chronic users.

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the relationship between the size of initial opioid prescription after surgery for degenerative spinal disease and the likelihood of refills.

The Effect of Physical Therapy on Time to Discharge After Lumbar Interbody Fusion.

Background: With a lesser degree of tissue destruction, patients undergoing minimally-invasive spine surgery are primed to benefit from early mobilization, which can further enhance recovery and hasten rehabilitation. We aimed to determine the role of physical therapy on earlier discharge after minimally-invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF).

Methods: Michigan Spine Surgery Improvement Collaborative (MSSIC) provided patients undergoing one- and two-level minimally-invasive TLIF for degenerative lumbar disease.

Sellar Atypical Teratoid/Rhabdoid Tumor Presenting with Subarachnoid and Intraventricular Hemorrhage.

Background: Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors (ATRT) are uncommon malignancies of the central nervous system and are often difficult to distinguish radiographically and pathologically from other common tumors. We present the first case of sellar ATRT presenting with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH).

Case Description: A 62-year-old woman, who had presented with symptoms of headache, diabetes insipidus, hypothyroidism, and seizures, was found to have a sellar tumor with hemorrhagic transformation.

Application of Morphometrics as a Predictor for Survival in Patients with Prostate Cancer Metastasis to the Spine.

Background: Surgery for spinal metastases can improve survival but has high morbidity that can potentially diminish benefits. New objective methods of predicting overall survival would be beneficial for surgical decision making. Morphometrics quantifies patient frailty and has been successfully used to predict overall survival in patients with lung cancer spinal metastases.

Concurrent Placement of Bilateral Suboccipital and Supraorbital Nerve Stimulators Using On-Q* Tunneler: Technical Note.

Background: Stimulation of the occipital and supraorbital nerves is used to treat chronic migraine refractory to medical management. Placement of cranial leads is often challenging due to the rigid Touhy needle included in the kit for its placement.

Objective: To report the first case of concurrent placement of bilateral supraorbital (SNS) and occipital nerve stimulators (ONS) from a unilateral approach using the On-Q* Tunneler, (Halyard Health, Alpharetta, Georgia) a flexible, blunt tipped plastic tunneler with a tear-away sheath.

Application of morphometrics as a predictor for survival in female patients with breast cancer spinal metastasis: a retrospective cohort study.

Background Context: The current standard of care for prediction of survival of cancer staging is based on TNM staging. However, for patients with spinal metastasis, who all have identical stage IV disease, identifying accurate prognostic markers of survival would allow better treatment stratification between more aggressive treatment strategies or palliation. Analytical morphometrics enables physicians to quantify patient frailty by measuring lean muscle mass.

Assessment of radiographic and clinical outcomes of an articulating expandable interbody cage in minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion for spondylolisthesis.

OBJECTIVE The inability to significantly improve sagittal parameters has been a limitation of minimally invasive surgery for transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS TLIF). Traditional cages have a limited capacity to restore lordosis. This study evaluates the use of a crescent-shaped articulating expandable cage (Altera) for MIS TLIF.

Lateral Atlantoaxial Osteoarthritis: A Narrative Literature Review.

Lateral atlantoaxial osteoarthritis (AAOA), or C1-C2 lateral mass arthritis (LMA), is an unfamiliar degenerative cervical disease with a clinical presentation that markedly differs from subaxial spondylosis. The prevalence of LMA in the nonsurgical outpatient setting is 4%. Risk factors include age and occupation.

Management of perisylvian arteriovenous malformations: a retrospective institutional case series and review of the literature.

Object: Sylvian arteriovenous malformations (sAVMs) are challenging lesions of the central nervous system. The natural history of these unique lesions as well as clinical outcomes following treatment of sAVMs has been limited to case series owing to the rarity of these lesions. The authors present their experience with sAVMs and review the literature.