Publications by authors named "Richard Fessler"

A pseudoaneurysm is an abnormal dilatation within the wall of a blood vessel due to the formation of a hematoma in the vessel wall after vessel injury. Because of the protective nature of the facial skeleton and the deep location of the lingual artery, the lingual artery pseudoaneurysm is rare. The authors report a case of a 20-year-old male who suffered multiple gunshot wounds, including to the mouth, presenting with immediate life-threatening injuries.

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Objective: Many studies have compared outcomes following anterior and posterior cervical fusion, yet the differences in the impacts of perioperative complications on outcomes have not been well studied. This study aimed to assess the differences in the effects of 30-day perioperative complications on patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) after multilevel anterior versus posterior cervical fusion.

Methods: Adult patients who underwent anterior or posterior cervical fusion at three or more levels between 2014 and 2020 were analyzed.

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Study Design: Retrospective analysis of prospective multicenter adult spinal deformity (ASD) database.

Objective: To determine the prevalence and prognosis of postoperative coronal malalignment following LLIF for ASD with Qiu type A coronal alignment.

Summary Of Background Data: Qiu Type A coronal alignment is defined as coronal vertical axis (CVA) <30mm.

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Introduction: Central neuropathic pain (CNP) commonly develops in patients after spinal cord injury (SCI), causing debilitating symptoms and sensory abnormalities to mechanical and thermal stimuli. The biological variability of pain phenotypes in individuals has limited the number of positive outcomes. Thus, it is necessary to investigate the physiological processes contributing to sensory changes that develop over time.

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Purpose: To assess impact of baseline disability on HRQL outcomes.

Methods: CD patients with baseline (BL) and 2 year (2Y) data included, and ranked into quartiles by baseline NDI, from lowest/best score (Q1) to highest/worst score (Q4). Means comparison tests analyzed differences between quartiles.

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Minimally invasive spinal surgery has shown benefits not only from a clinical standpoint but also in some cost-effectiveness metrics. Microendoscopic procedures combine optical advantages of endoscopy with the preservation of bimanual surgical maneuvers that are not feasible with full percutaneous endoscopic procedures. TELIGEN is a new endoscopic platform designed to optimize these operations.

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Objective: This study evaluates the impact of L4-L5 minimally invasive surgery (MIS)- transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) on adjacent-level parameters.

Methods: This is a retrospective study performed on consecutive patients between January 2015 and December 2019. The index- and adjacent-level segmental lordosis (SL) and disc angle (DA) were measured.

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Background: Severe sagittal plane deformity with loss of L4-S1 lordosis is disabling and can be improved through various surgical techniques. However, data are limited on the differing ability of anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF), pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO), and transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) to achieve alignment goals in severely malaligned patients.

Methods: Severe adult spinal deformity patients with preoperative PI-LL >20°, L4-S1 lordosis <30°, and full body radiographs and PROMs at baseline and 6-week postoperative visit were included.

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Background And Objectives: We sought to compare long-term clinical and radiographic outcomes in patients who underwent staged vs same-day circumferential minimally invasive surgery (cMIS) for adult spinal deformity (ASD).

Methods: We reviewed staged and same-day cMIS ASD cases in a prospective multi-institution database to compare preoperative and 2-year clinical and radiographic parameters between cohorts.

Results: A total of 85 patients with a 2-year follow-up were identified (27 staged, 58 same-day).

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Background And Objectives: Studies have demonstrated increased risk of adjacent segment disease (ASD) after open fusion with adjacent-level laminectomy, with rates ranging from 16%-47%, potentially related to disruption of the posterior ligamentous complex. Minimally invasive surgical (MIS) approaches may offer a more durable result. We report institutional outcomes of simultaneous MIS transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MISTLIF) and adjacent-level laminectomy for patients with low grade spondylolisthesis and ASD.

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Study Design: Retrospective review of prospectively collected data.

Objective: To investigate the effect of lower extremity osteoarthritis on sagittal alignment and compensatory mechanisms in adult spinal deformity (ASD).

Background: Spine, hip, and knee pathologies often overlap in ASD patients.

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Objective: Depression has been implicated with worse immediate postoperative outcomes in adult spinal deformity (ASD) correction, yet the specific impact of depression on those patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery (MIS) requires further clarity. This study aimed to evaluate the role of depression in the recovery of patients with ASD after undergoing MIS.

Methods: Patients who underwent MIS for ASD with a minimum postoperative follow-up of 1 year were included from a prospectively collected, multicenter registry.

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Study Design: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data.

Objective: Evaluate the impact of correcting normative segmental lordosis values on postoperative outcomes.

Background: Restoring lumbar lordosis magnitude is crucial in adult spinal deformity surgery, but the optimal location and segmental distribution remain unclear.

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Study Design: Retrospective review of prospectively collected data.

Objective: To analyze the impact of operative room (OR) time in adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery on patient outcomes.

Background: It is currently unknown if OR time in ASD patients matched for deformity severity and surgical invasiveness is associated with patient outcomes.

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Objective: Patients with degenerative lumbar scoliosis (DLS) and neurogenic pain may be candidates for decompression alone or short-segment fusion. In this study, minimally invasive surgery (MIS) decompression (MIS-D) and MIS short-segment fusion (MIS-SF) in patients with DLS were compared in a propensity score-matched analysis.

Methods: The propensity score was calculated using 13 variables: sex, age, BMI, Charlson Comorbidity Index, smoking status, leg pain, back pain, grade 1 spondylolisthesis, lateral spondylolisthesis, multilevel spondylolisthesis, lumbar Cobb angle, pelvic incidence minus lumbar lordosis, and pelvic tilt in a logistic regression model.

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Study Design: This is a cross-sectional survey.

Objective: The aim was to assess the reliability of a proposed novel classification system for thoracic disc herniations (TDHs).

Summary Of Background Data: TDHs are complex entities varying substantially in many factors, including size, location, and calcification.

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Objective: Circumferential minimally invasive surgery (cMIS) may provide incremental benefits compared with open surgery for patients with increasing frailty status by decreasing peri- and postoperative complications.

Methods: Operative patients with adult spinal deformity (ASD) ≥ 18 years old with baseline and 2-year postoperative data were assessed. With propensity score matching, patients who underwent cMIS (cMIS group) were matched with similar patients who underwent open surgery (open group) based on baseline BMI, C7-S1 sagittal vertical axis, pelvic incidence to lumbar lordosis mismatch, and S1 pelvic tilt.

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Background: We developed a spinal deformity complexity checklist (SDCC) to assess the difficulty in performing a circumferential minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for adult spinal deformity.

Methods: A modified Delphi method of panel experts was used to construct an SDCC checklist of radiographic and patient-related characteristics that could affect the complexity of surgery via MIS approaches. Ten surgeons with expertise in MIS deformity surgery were queried to develop and refine the SDCC with 3 radiographic categories (x-ray, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography) and 1 patient-related category.

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Spinal cord injury (SCI) affects ∼1,300,000 people living in the United States. Most research efforts have been focused on reversing paralysis, as this is arguably the most defining feature of SCI. The damage caused by SCI, however, extends past paralysis and includes other debilitating outcomes including immune dysfunction and gut dysbiosis.

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Study Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.OBJECTIVESSurgical decompression alone for patients with neurogenic leg pain in the setting of degenerative lumbar scoliosis (DLS) and stenosis is commonly performed, however, there is no summary of evidence for outcomes.

Methods: A systematic search of English language medical literature databases was performed for studies describing outcomes of decompression alone in DLS, defined as Cobb angle >10˚, and 2-year minimum follow-up.

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Objective: The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the safety of 3 escalating doses of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (LCTOPC1; previously known as GRNOPC1 and AST-OPC1) administered at a single time point between 21 and 42 days postinjury to participants with subacute cervical spinal cord injuries (SCIs). The secondary objective was to evaluate changes in neurological function following administration of LCTOPC1.

Methods: This study was designed as an open-label, dose-escalation, multicenter clinical trial.

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Background: Symptomatic spinal epidural veins (SEV) are a rare cause of neurologic dysfunction. Treatment is centered upon addressing the underlying venous pathology to relieve mechanical compression of the neurologic structures. However, open surgical ligation is often associated with considerable blood loss.

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Objective: This study assesses cervical alignments after 2-level cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA) versus anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) with anterior plate fixation.

Methods: Eighty-two patients who underwent 2-level CDA or ACDF in 2014-2019 were identified. Cervical alignment parameters were compared between the 2 cohorts.

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