Tranexamic acid reduces perioperative blood loss in cervical laminoplasty: a prospective randomized study.

Study Design: A prospective randomized comparative study.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of tranexamic acid (TXA) on decreasing perioperative blood loss in cervical laminoplasty, in which the surgical procedure is identical in all cases.

Summary Of Background Data: TXA, an inhibitor of fibrinolysis, has proven to be effective in reducing perioperative blood loss in patients undergoing total hip and knee arthroplasty.

Mini-open versus conventional open posterior lumbar interbody fusion for the treatment of lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis: comparison of paraspinal muscle damage and slip reduction.

Study Design: A comparative analysis of paraspinal muscle damage and radiographic parameters after mini-open and conventional open posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF).

Objective: To determine whether mini-open PLIF decreases paraspinal muscle damage and yields the same radiographic results as those in conventional open PLIF.

Summary Of Background Data: Compared with conventional open PLIF, mini-open PLIF using a paramedian approach reduces intraoperative hemorrhage and decreases postoperative back pain.

Union versus nonunion after posterolateral lumbar fusion: a comparison of long-term surgical outcomes in patients with degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis.

It has been reported that in patients undergoing posterolateral lumbar fusion (PLF), the fusion status is not related to the short-term operative results. To determine whether the fusion status influences the long-term operative results of PLF, we retrospectively examined the surgical outcomes of uninstrumented PLF for a minimum of 8 years (average, 9.5 years), by comparing cases exhibiting union with those exhibiting nonunion.

Pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine increases after spinal instrumentation surgery.

We investigated the effects of instrumentation on postoperative inflammatory reaction and identified standard changes in serum cytokine concentrations after spinal surgery. Pro-inflammatory cytokines [interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8] and anti-inflammatory cytokines [IL-10, IL-1 receptor antagonist (ra), and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors (sTNF-R) I and II] were assayed in serum from seven patients with lumbar spinal posterior decompression, six with spinal decompression and posterolateral fusion without instrumentation and seven with spinal decompression and posterolateral fusion with instrumentation. All cytokines after spinal instrumentation increased significantly more than in other groups on postoperative days 0 and 1.