Commercial suture passer improves efficiency and ease of use versus conventional needle in minimally invasive thoracolumbar fascia closure: a cadaveric analysis.

Background: Low-profile suture passers have been introduced to facilitate thoracolumbar fascia closure in minimally invasive spine (MIS) surgery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the closure time of a modern suture passer to a conventional curved need for MIS fascia closure in a cadaveric model.

Methods: Six clinicians specializing in orthopedic spine surgery were recruited for the study and randomly assigned 1 cadaveric torso.

The Impact of Lumbar Spine Disease and Deformity on Total Hip Arthroplasty Outcomes.

Concomitant spine and hip disease in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) presents a management challenge. Degenerative lumbar spine conditions are known to decrease lumbar lordosis and limit lumbar flexion and extension, leading to altered pelvic mechanics and increased demand for hip motion. In this study, the effect of lumbar spine disease on complications after primary THA was assessed.

Sagittal Balance Correction in Lateral Interbody Fusion for Degenerative Scoliosis.

Background: Sagittal balance restoration has been shown to be an important determinant of outcomes in corrective surgery for degenerative scoliosis. Lateral interbody fusion (LIF) is a less-invasive technique which permits the placement of a high lordosis interbody cage without risks associated with traditional anterior or transforaminal interbody techniques. Studies have shown improvement in lumbar lordosis following LIF, but only one other study has assessed sagittal balance in this population.

Renal artery injury during lateral transpsoas interbody fusion: case report.

Lateral interbody fusion (LIF) via the retroperitoneal transpsoas approach is an increasingly popular, minimally invasive technique for interbody fusion in the thoracolumbar spine that avoids many of the complications of traditional anterior and transforaminal approaches. Renal vascular injury has been cited as a potential risk in LIF, but little has been documented in the literature regarding the etiology of this injury. The authors discuss a case of an intraoperative complication of renal artery injury during LIF.

The role of iatrogenic foraminal stenosis from lordotic correction in the development of C5 palsy after posterior laminectomy and fusion.

Background: Post-operative C5 nerve root palsy is a known complication following cervical spine surgery. Although several theories have been proposed, there remains no consensus as to the etiology of the palsies. Multiple pre-operative radiographic measures have been assessed for utility in predicting palsy.

C5 palsy after cervical laminectomy and fusion: does width of laminectomy matter?

Background Context: A common complication of cervical laminectomy and fusion with instrumentation (CLFI) is development of postoperative C5 nerve palsy. A proposed etiology is excess nerve tension from posterior drift of the spinal cord after decompression. We hypothesize that laminectomy width will be significantly increased in patients with C5 palsy and will correlate with palsy severity.

Is polymethyl methacrylate a viable option for salvaging lateral mass screw failure in the subaxial cervical spine?

Study Design Biomechanical analysis of lateral mass screw pullout strength. Objective We compare the pullout strength of our bone cement-revised lateral mass screw with the standard lateral mass screw. Methods In cadaveric cervical spines, we simulated lateral mass screw "cutouts" unilaterally from C3 to C7.

Posterior single-incision semitendinosus harvest for a quadrupled anterior cruciate ligament graft construct: determination of graft length and diameter based on patient sex, height, weight, and body mass index.

Purpose: This study aimed to determine final graft length and diameter for a quadrupled semitendinosus anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) construct harvested from a single-incision posterior approach with correlation to preoperative patient variables of sex, height, weight, and body mass index (BMI).

Methods: This was a retrospective review of data collected prospectively on 60 patients undergoing all-inside quadrupled semitendinosus autograft ACL reconstruction.

Results: The mean values of the final quadrupled constructs were a length of 70.

Use of a medication quantification scale for comparison of pain medication usage in patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).

Objective: To correlate the amount and types of pain medications prescribed to CRPS patients, using the Medication Quantification Scale, and patients' subjective pain levels.

Design: An international, multisite, retrospective review.

Setting: University medical centers in the United States, Israel, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Does a Syrinx Matter for Return to Play in Contact Sports? A Case Report and Evidence-Based Review of Return-to-Play Criteria After Transient Quadriplegia.

Transient quadriplegia is a rare injury that can change the course of an athlete's career if misdiagnosed or managed inappropriately. The clinician should be well versed in the return-to-play criteria for this type of injury. Unfortunately, when an unknown preexisting syrinx is present in the athlete, there is less guidance on their ability to return to play.

Residual limbs of amputees are significantly cooler than contralateral intact limbs.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that distal residual limbs (DRLs) have significant vasomotor abnormalities.

Design: Comparative surface temperature studies of DRLs using paired samples (DRL vs. similar site on intact contralateral limb).

Medication Quantification Scale Version III: internal validation of detriment weights using a chronic pain population.

Introduction: We report an internal validation of the Medication Quantification Scale (MQS III) using a chronic pain population. The MQS was designed as a methodology of quantifying different drug regimens in 1992, updated in 1998 (MQS II), and again updated in 2003 (MQS III) using "detriment" weights determined by surveying physician members of the American Pain Society. The MQS has been used as a unitary clinical and research outcome.