Factors influencing the selection criteria of Saudi board orthopedic surgery applicants: a national survey of program directors.

Background: Annually, medical students vie to secure a seat with an orthopedic residency program. This rigorous competition places orthopedic surgery as one of the most competitive specialties in the medical field. Although several international studies have been published regarding the factors that influence program directors when choosing their ideal applicant, the data for Saudi Arabia in that regard is absent.

Surgical management of a recurrent hydatid cyst in the thoracic spine of a postpartum patient with paraplegia: a rare case report and literature review.

Background: Hydatid disease is a health problem caused by Echinococcus granulosis. Spinal hydatidosis is relatively uncommon when compared to hydatid disease of visceral organs, such as the liver.

Case Description: This report details the case of a 26-year-old female who presented acutely with incomplete paraplegia following delivery via cesarean section.

Prevalence and Predictors of Scoliosis and Back Pain in 591 Adolescents: A Randomized, Stratified, Cross-Sectional Study in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Purpose Owing to the difficulty of establishing a screening program for scoliosis and back pain, along with their disabling consequences and the lack of local prevalence rates, we sought to study the prevalence of scoliosis and back pain in adolescents in Saudi Arabia and the burden reported by the affected age group on the health system. Materials and methods A school-based, cross-sectional pilot study covering all school districts in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was conducted. Students between 12 and 18 years of age were included.

Surgical management of spinal tuberculosis with a two-stage posterior instrumentation with bridging: a case report.

Tuberculosis (TB) affects millions of people every year. Spinal TB is a common extrapulmonary manifestation of the disease. Spinal TB can be devastating and carries an unfortunate outcome.

Hemangioma of the Lumbar Spine Involving the Spinous Process: A Rare Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Hemangiomas of the spine are usually benign and asymptomatic. They can cause devastating complications such as pathological fractures of the spine and neurological disability. This report documents an atypical location of a hemangioma in a lumbar spinous process, in combination with a spondylolisthesis at the same level, which makes it even more uncommon.

The incidence of odontoid fractures following trauma in a major trauma center, a retrospective study.

Background: Cervical spine injury is the most common vertebral injury after major trauma, 20% of all cervical fractures happen to be odontoid fractures. In young adults, odontoid fracture usually happens as a result of high-energy trauma after a motor vehicle accident (MVA). MVA in Riyadh represents 38.

Does delay in surgical debridement increase the risk of infection in open tibia fractures in Saudi patients? A retrospective cohort study.

Background: Infection is the most common and devastating complication of open fractures, with a reported incidence of 3-40%. Tibia bone along its anteromedial surface has relatively thin soft tissue coverage; hence the open tibia fracture incidence rate ranges from 49.4% to 63.

Long-term compliance with continuous positive airway pressure in Saudi patients with obstructive sleep apnea. A prospective cohort study.

Objectives: To evaluate continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) compliance and define predictors of CPAP compliance among Saudi patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) after applying an educational program. 

Methods: This prospective cohort study included consecutive patients diagnosed to have OSA based on polysomnography between January 2012 and January 2014 in King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. All patients had educational sessions on OSA and CPAP therapy before sleep study, and formal hands-on training on CPAP machines on day one, day 7, and day 14 after diagnosis.