Gunshot wounds to the spine: literature review and report on a migratory intrathecal bullet.

Treatment of the complex injury to the spine produced by a gunshot wound remains controversial. Treatment depends on the physician's ability to understand mechanism of injury, principles of medical management, diagnostic imaging, and surgical options. Antibiotics are an important component of treatment and should be continued for a minimum of 7 days in cases of wounds that both perforate the colon and injure the spine.

A novel technique of intra-spinous process injection of PMMA to augment the strength of an inter-spinous process device such as the X STOP.

Study Design: Biomechanical.

Objective: To determine if cement injection into the spinous process will improve compression strength.

Summary Of Background Data: The X STOP (St.

ProDisc-L total disc replacement: a comparison of 1-level versus 2-level arthroplasty patients with a minimum 2-year follow-up.

Study Design: This is a retrospective analysis of data that was collected prospectively from 2 concurrent FDA IDE lumbar arthroplasty clinical trials performed at a single center.

Objective: To determine if there is a clinical difference between the 1-level ProDisc patients versus the 2-level ProDisc patients at a minimum of 2 years of follow-up.

Summary Of Background Data: Marnay's work with ProDisc I prompted the U.

Vertebroplasty versus kyphoplasty: biomechanical behavior under repetitive loading conditions.

Study Design: Ex vivo biomechanical study using osteoporotic cadaveric fractured vertebral bodies.

Objective: To investigate the behavior of fractured osteoporotic vertebral bodies treated with either vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty under repetitive loading conditions.

Summary Of Background Data: Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty are newer alternatives for the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral fractures.

Interspinous process decompression with the X-STOP device for lumbar spinal stenosis: a 4-year follow-up study.

X-STOP is the first interspinous process decompression device that was shown to be superior to nonoperative therapy in patients with neurogenic intermittent claudication secondary to spinal stenosis in the multicenter randomized study at 1 and 2 years. We present 4-year follow-up data on the X-STOP patients. Patient records were screened to identify potentially eligible subjects who underwent X-STOP implantation as part of the FDA clinical trial.

The monotonic and fatigue properties of osteoporotic thoracic vertebral bodies.

Study Design: Measurement of the monotonic and fatigue properties of osteoporotic thoracic vertebral bodies.

Objectives: To determine the loading values at which osteoporotic vertebral bodies are susceptible to failure.

Summary Of Background Data: Vertebral compression fractures are the most common osteoporotic fracture.

Diagnostic evaluation of low back pain.

The diagnostic evaluation of chronic LBP is at best a complex and involved undertaking. The most important part of the process lies in the knowledge of the patient and a solid history and physical examination. From there, most of the serious and life-threatening causes of LBP can be elucidated and studies may be used for confirmation.