Hypoalbuminemia and Elevated CRP are Risk Factors for Deep Infections and Urinary Tract Infections After Lumbar Spine Surgery in a Large Retrospective Patient Population.

Study Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study.

Objectives: To determine if pre-operative albumin and CRP can predict post-operative infections after lumbar surgery.

Methods: Patients who underwent an anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF), posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF), or lumbar discectomy were identified using a patient record database (PearlDiver) and were included in this retrospective study.

Delayed quadriparesis after posterior spinal fusion for scoliosis: a case series.

Study Design: A multicenter retrospective IRB exempt case series analyzing clinical and radiographical data of patients treated by three surgeons over the past two decades was conducted.

Objective: To examine the factors involved in the development of quadriparesis in patients who underwent posterior spinal fusion for scoliosis. Delayed spinal cord infarcts usually present at the region of instrumentation according to reports from the Scoliosis Research Society.

The Safety Profile of Percutaneous Minimally Invasive Sacroiliac Joint Fusion.

Study Design: Literature review.

Objectives: Systematic review of the existing literature to determine the safety of minimally invasive (MI) sacroiliac (SI) joint fusion through the determination of the rate of procedural and device-related intraoperative and postoperative complications.

Methods: All original studies with reported complication rates were included for analysis.

Endoscopic Lumbar Surgery: The State of the Art in 2019.

This study was aimed to provide a brief historical perspective to facilitate appreciation of current techniques, describe outcomes of endoscopic lumbar surgery relative to those of existing techniques, and identify topics in need of study and future directions for the field of endoscopic lumbar surgery. Using the PubMed database, a comprehensive search was conducted to identify peer-reviewed English language articles pertaining to endoscopic lumbar surgery. Lack of focus on pertinent techniques or lack of outcome measures constituted exclusion criteria.

The Arrival of Robotics in Spine Surgery: A Review of the Literature.

Study Design: Systematic review.

Objective: The authors aim to review comparative outcome measures between robotic and free-hand spine surgical procedures including: accuracy of spinal instrumentation, radiation exposure, operative time, hospital stay, and complication rates.

Summary Of Background Data: Misplacement of pedicle screws in conventional open as well as minimally invasive surgical procedures has prompted the need for innovation and allowed the emergence of robotics in spine surgery.

Cost Analysis of All-Polyethylene Compared to Metal-Backed Implants in Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Introduction: The growing trends of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) foreshadow an inevitable increase in the financial burden on healthcare expenditure estimated to almost nine billion dollars annually. This study aims to demonstrate the potential savings when using all-polyethylene (AP) compared to metal-backed (MB) tibial components and describes the cost variability amongst three major commercially available implants.

Materials And Methods: The cost of AP versus MB implants was analyzed using a large nationwide database, Emergency Care Research Institute (ECRI).

Deep Surgical Site Infection Following 2344 Growing-Rod Procedures for Early-Onset Scoliosis: Risk Factors and Clinical Consequences.

Background: Deep surgical site infection may change the course of growing-rod treatment of early-onset scoliosis. Our goal was to assess the effect of this complication on subsequent treatment.

Methods: A multicenter international database was retrospectively reviewed; 379 patients treated with growing-rod surgery and followed for a minimum of two years were identified.

Variation in tibial tubercle-trochlear groove measurement as a function of age, sex, size, and patellar instability.

Background: The tibial tubercle-trochlear groove (TT-TG) measurement was developed to quantify morphologic abnormalities about the knee associated with patellar instability and to help guide surgical decision making.

Purpose: To assess variations in TT-TG as a function of patient age and size in a population of patients with patellar instability compared with those with no instability.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.

Are Thoracic Curves With a Low Apex (T11 or T11/T12) Really Thoracic Curves?

Study Design: Multicenter; review of prospectively collected data.

Objectives: To determine whether curves with an apex at T11 or T11/T12 represent a combination of thoracic and thoracolumbar curves or constitute their own class of curves.

Summary Of Background Data: Curves with an apex at T11 and T11/T12 are classified by the Scoliosis Research Society and Lenke classification as thoracic curves.

Breastfeeding and helicobacter pylori infection in children with digestive symptoms.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the role of breastfeeding in the acquisition of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in Iran and to compare the histopathologic changes occurring in children feeding on breast milk with those in infants feeding on formula.

Methods: In a case-control study parents of children with and without H.