Publications by authors named "Matthew Galetta"

Total hip and knee arthroplasties are among the most effective and widely performed procedures in modern medicine, providing substantial benefits to patients with end-stage osteoarthritis. These surgeries have transformed the treatment of degenerative joint disease, significantly enhancing functionality and quality of life for patients. Despite considerable advancements in surgical techniques and postoperative care, managing postoperative pain remains a major challenge, impacting both clinical recovery and patient satisfaction.

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Article Synopsis
  • ! Adult cervical deformity (ACD) surgery is increasingly common in frail patients, but they face a higher risk of poor outcomes, raising questions about the optimal length of fusion constructs. * ! A study involving 286 patients categorized them by a frailty index and analyzed their outcomes, revealing that frail and severely frail groups experienced longer hospital stays and higher rates of complications like distal junctional kyphosis. * ! Findings suggest that frail patients are more vulnerable to poor surgical outcomes, especially when fusion involves lower instrumented vertebrae in the cervical spine, highlighting the need for careful planning in these cases. *
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Unlabelled: BACKGROUND  : The use of bone morphogenic protein (BMP-2) in adult spine deformity (ASD) surgery remains controversial more than two decades following its approval for clinical application in spine surgery. This study was performed to assess outcomes in patients undergoing ASD surgery with BMP application compared with a combination of bone marrow aspirate, cancellous bone chips and i-Factor.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study.

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Background: Transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) has become a common tool to achieve interbody fusion in lumbar spine surgery while avoiding the time, expense, and morbidity associated with an anterior approach. Nonexpandable (NE) devices have excellent fusion results but are limited to implant size by spinal anatomy; conversely, expandable implants have been associated with increased intraoperative subsidence. Dual-plane expandable (DPE) devices are theorized to have reduced subsidence risk, but DPE cages have not been directly compared to NE and single plane expandable (SPE) implants in vivo.

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Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess how various realignment strategies affect mechanical failure and clinical outcomes in pelvic incidence (PI)-stratified cohorts following adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery.

Methods: Median and interquartile range statistics were calculated for demographics and surgical details. Further statistical analysis was used to define subsets within PI generating significantly different rates of mechanical failure.

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Objective: The objective was to evaluate factors associated with the long-term durability of outcomes in adult spinal deformity (ASD) patients.

Methods: Operative ASD patients fused from at least L1 to the sacrum with baseline (BL) to 5-year (5Y) follow-up were included. Substantial clinical benefit (SCB) in Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), numeric rating scale (NRS)-back, NRS-leg, and Scoliosis Research Society (SRS)-22r scores and physical component score were assessed on the basis of previously published values.

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Adult spinal deformity (ASD) patients with concurrent sacroiliac joint (SIJ) pain are susceptible to worse postoperative outcomes. There is scarce literature on the impact of ASD realignment surgery on SIJ pain. : Patients undergoing ASD realignment surgery were included and stratified by the presence of SIJ pain at the baseline (SIJP+) or SIJ pain absence (SIJP-).

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Distal junctional kyphosis (DJK) is a concerning complication for surgeons performing cervical deformity (CD) surgery. Patients sustaining such complications may demonstrate worse recovery profiles compared to their unaffected peers. DJK was defined as a >10° change in kyphosis between LIV and LIV-2, and a >10° index angle.

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Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: To assess the impact of Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols on peri-operative course in adult cervical deformity (ACD) corrective surgery.

Methods: Patients ≥18 yrs with complete pre-(BL) and up to 2-year (2Y) radiographic and clinical outcome data were stratified by enrollment in an ERAS protocol that commenced in 2020.

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Objective: To assess the financial impact of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols and cost-effectiveness in cervical deformity corrective surgery.

Study Design: Retrospective review of prospective CD database.

Background: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) can help accelerate patient recovery and assist hospitals in maximizing the incentives of bundled payment models while maintaining high-quality patient care.

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Study Design: Retrospective cohort.

Objective: To investigate the impact of evolving Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols on outcomes after cervical deformity (CD) surgery.

Background: ERAS can help accelerate patient recovery and assist hospitals in maximizing the incentives of bundled payment models while maintaining high-quality patient care.

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Objective: We sought to assess factors contributing to optimal radiographic outcomes.

Methods: Operative adult spinal deformity (ASD) patients with baseline and 5-year (5Y) data were included. Optimal alignment (O) was defined as improving in at least 1 Scoliosis Research Society-Schwab modifier without worsening in any Scoliosis Research Society-Schwab modifier.

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Objective: The objective of this study was to assess whether delaying surgical management of cervical deformity (CD) in patients with concomitant mild myelopathy increases the risk of suboptimal outcomes.

Methods: Patients aged ≥ 18 years who had a baseline diagnosis of mild myelopathy with baseline and up to 2 years of postoperative data were assessed. Patients were categorized as having CD (CD+) or not (CD-) at baseline.

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Introduction Post-operative physical therapy (PT) following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) surgery is often performed to improve a patient's functional ability and reduce neck pain. However, current literature evaluating the benefits of post-operative PT using patient-reported outcomes (PROs) is limited and remains inconclusive. Here we compare post-operative improvement between patients who did and did not undergo formal PT after ACDF using Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) scores.

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Study Design: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data.

Objective: To investigate the effect of the approach of the transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion [TLIF; open vs . minimally invasive (MIS)] on reoperation rates due to ASD at 2 to 4-year follow-up.

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Background: The presence of predominant pain in the arm vs the neck as a predictor of postoperative outcomes after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) has been seldom reported; therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine whether patients with predominant neck pain improve after surgery compared to patients with predominant arm pain or those with mixed symptoms in patients undergoing ACDF for radiculopathy.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients who underwent ACDF at a single center from 2016 to 2018. Patients were split into groups based on preoperative neck and arm pain scores: neck (N) pain dominant group (visual analog scale [VAS] neck ≥ VAS arm by 1.

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The usage of tourniquets in orthopedic surgery is commonplace. This review will describe the history of tourniquet usage throughout medicine and trace this device's evolution to the modern device used today. Several basic principles of tourniquet usage will also be explored, debunking common myths regarding upper time-limits of tourniquet inflation, the ideal pressure of inflation, and tourniquet usage in patients with pre-existing vascular diseases.

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Telemedicine is the practice of caring for patients remotely when the patient and provider are not physically present at the same location. Within orthopedic surgery, telemedicine offers care without the typical obstacles of an in-person appointment such as difficulty ambulating following surgery and patient wait times. In this study, we evaluated patient interest and satisfaction in postoperative telemedicine visits following hip or knee arthroplasty surgery.

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Background: The lower instrumented vertebrae (LIVs) in cervical deformity (CD) constructs may have varying effects on patient outcomes that are still poorly understood.

Objective: The objective of the study is to compare outcomes in CD patients undergoing instrumented correction according to the relation of LIV with primary driver (PD).

Methods: Patients who met radiographic criteria for CD were included in the study.

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Sports-related acute cervical trauma and spinal cord injury (SCI) represent a rare but devastating potential complication of collision sport injuries. Currently, there is debate on appropriate management protocols and return-to-play guidelines in professional collision athletes following cervical trauma. While cervical muscle strains and sprains are among the most common injuries sustained by collision athletes, the life-changing effects of severe neurological sequelae (ie, quadriplegia and paraplegia) from fractures and SCIs require increased attention and care.

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Background: Currently, few studies have examined whether patients with back or leg pain-predominant symptoms fare better clinically after lumbar spine surgery; therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine whether patients with back pain-dominant symptoms improved to a similar degree as patients with mixed or leg pain-dominant symptoms after lumbar surgery.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at a single academic center, in which patients were stratified into three groups: (1) back pain-dominant group (B) (visual analog score [VAS] back - VAS leg ≥ 1.0 point), (2) neutral group (N) (VAS back - VAS leg < 1.

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Background: While the impact of trainee involvement in other surgical fields is well established, there is a paucity of literature assessing this relationship in orthopaedic spine surgery. The goal of this study was to further elucidate this relationship.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was initiated on patients undergoing 1-3 level lumbar spine fusion at a single academic center.

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Background: Currently, no authors of existing studies have attempted to classify the signal characteristics of disc herniation on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and their temporal relationship to symptoms of lumbar radiculopathy. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the MRI signal characteristics are predictive of acuity of symptoms in patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH).

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients treated at an academic center for LDH from 2015 to 2018.

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Background: The pedicle screw is the most common device used to achieve fixation in fusion of spondylolistheses. Safe and accurate placement with this technique relies on a thorough understanding of the bony anatomy. There is a paucity of literature comparing the surgically relevant osseous anatomy in patients with a degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS) and an isthmic spondylolisthesis (IS).

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Background: Currently, no studies have assessed what effect the presence of both anxiety and depression may have on patient-reported outcome measurements (PROMs) compared to patients with a single or no mental health diagnosis.

Methods: Patients undergoing 1- to 3-level lumbar fusion at a single academic hospital were retrospectively queried. Anyone with depression and/or anxiety was identified using an existing clinical diagnosis in the medical chart.

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