Put Down the Tin: Chewing Tobacco Use Is Associated With Worse Outcomes After Primary Lumbar Fusion.

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Objective: This study evaluated the impact of chewing tobacco on both medical and spine-related complication rates after spinal lumbar fusions in comparison to both a control cohort and a smoking cohort.

Summary Of Background Data: Smoking is a prevalent modifiable risk factor that has been demonstrated to be associated with increased complications after lumbar fusion.

Lumbar spine surgery reduces postoperative opioid use in the veteran population.

Background: The United States has been facing a worsening opioid epidemic over the past two decades. The veteran population represents a large and vulnerable group with a higher burden of mental health comorbidities. The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of lumbar spine surgery on postoperative opioid usage in the United States veteran population.

Anterior lumbar spinal fusion surgery associated with lower risk of stroke, pneumonia, and infection compared to posterior lumbar spinal fusion surgery.

Background: Prior studies, comparing anterior and posterior approaches to lumbar fusion surgery, found similar fusion rates and clinical outcomes, but are limited by sample size. Further evaluation of the postoperative complications of each approach is necessary.

Methods: The MSpine database by PearlDiver was queried using ICD-9, ICD-10, and CPT codes to identify patients who had undergone single-level anterior or posterior lumbar interbody fusion surgery.

Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion With Cement Augmentation Without Posterior Fixation to Treat Isthmic Spondylolisthesis in an Osteopenic Patient-A Surgical Technique.

Background: Anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) has been well established as an effective surgical intervention for chronic back pain due to osteoporotic vertebral collapse. Historically, ALIF has consisted of an anterior approach to disc height restoration with a subsequent posterior pedicle screw fixation. Although the applications of cement augmentation with posterior fixation have been previously reported, treatment of patients with both isthmic spondylolisthesis and decreased bone mineral density using a stand-alone ALIF is controversial because of concerns for decreased fusion rates and increased subsidence risk, respectively.

The P-mJOA: A Patient-derived, Self-reported Outcome Instrument for Evaluating Cervical Myelopathy: Comparison with the mJOA.

Study Design: Prospective Cohort Study.

Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate and validate a patient-derived version of the modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (the "P-mJOA") that a patient can complete along with other patient-derived outcome measures.

Summary Of Background Data: The modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) is a validated instrument widely used in the assessment of cervical myelopathy; however, it is not a patient-derived outcome.

Complications, Readmissions, and Reoperations in Posterior Cervical Fusion.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database from 2011 to 2012.

Objective: Minimizing the morbidity of posterior cervical fusion can be improved with identification of patient risk factors.

Summary Of Background Data: Posterior cervical fusion is an effective technique for treating a variety of pathology.

The unusual presentation of a vascular injury after lumbar microdiscectomy: case report.

Vascular injury during lumbar spine surgery is a relatively rare complication but can have devastating outcomes. The injury may not be apparent during surgery and can present acutely or late in various manners, and some injuries can be asymptomatic. This report discusses the unusual case of a 35-year-old woman who underwent a right L4-5 microdiscectomy for disc herniation and 4 days postoperatively presented with a pulmonary embolus.

Biomechanical analysis of an expandable lateral cage and a static transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion cage with posterior instrumentation in an in vitro spondylolisthesis model.

Objective: Insufficient biomechanical data exist from comparisons of the stability of expandable lateral cages with that of static transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) cages. The purpose of this biomechanical study was to compare the relative rigidity of L4-5 expandable lateral interbody constructs with or without additive pedicle screw fixation with that of L4-5 static TLIF cages in a novel cadaveric spondylolisthesis model.

Methods: Eight human cadaver spines were used in this study.

In vitro cytotoxic effects of benzalkonium chloride in corticosteroid injection suspension.

Background: Some deleterious effects on cartilage and even severe arthropathy have been reported after intra-articular corticosteroid injections. The objective of the present in vitro study was to determine if an injectable corticosteroid suspension is toxic to articular chondrocytes and synovial cells.

Methods: Human and bovine articular chondrocytes, bovine synovial cells, mouse C3H10T1/2 cells, and human osteosarcoma MG-63 cells were treated for thirty minutes in monolayer or suspension culture with an injectable corticosteroid suspension or its chemical components, including betamethasone sodium phosphate, betamethasone acetate, and benzalkonium chloride (as preservative).