Trends and Long-term Health Care Utilization of Computer-assisted Neuronavigation in Spine Fusions: An Exact Matched Analysis of National Administrative Database.

Background: Computer-assisted neuronavigation (CAN) during spine fusions has increasingly been utilized in the United States. The aim of this study was to analyze the trends, health care utilization, and clinical outcomes associated with CAN use.

Methods: The MarketScan database was queried using the ICD-9/10 and CPT 4th edition, from 2003 to 2019.

Extensive spontaneous cervical epidural hematoma due to oral anticoagulant (dabigatran) successfully treated with reversal agent idarucizumab alone.

Background: Dabigatran is an anticoagulant (novel oral anticoagulant) that is a direct thrombin inhibitor and only recently has a reversal agent, idarucizumab, been made available (2015).

Case Description: An 86-year-old male taking dabigatran for atrial fibrillation, acutely presented with the spontaneous onset of neck pain and quadriparesis. When the MRI demonstrated a C2-T2 spinal epidural hematoma, the patient was given the reversal agent idarucizumab.

Augmented Reality in Spinal Surgery: Highlights From Augmented Reality Lectures at the Emerging Technologies Annual Meetings.

Introduction Augmented reality (AR) is an advanced technology and emerging field that has been adopted into spine surgery to enhance care and outcomes. AR superimposes a three-dimensional computer-generated image over the normal anatomy of interest in order to facilitate visualization of deep structures without the ability to directly see them. Objective To summarize the latest literature and highlight AR from the annual "Spinal Navigation, Emerging Technologies and Systems Integration" meeting lectures presented by the Seattle Science Foundation (SSF) on the development and use of augmented reality in spinal surgery.

Epidural hematoma in patients with ankylosing spondylitis requiring surgical stabilization: a single-institution retrospective review with literature analysis.

Objective: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the sacroiliac joints and axial spine that is closely linked with human leukocyte antigen-B27. There appears to be an increased frequency of associated epidural hematomas in spine fractures in patients with AS. The objective was to review the incidence within the literature and a single-institution experience of the occurrence of epidural hematoma in the context of patients with AS requiring spine surgery.

Video-assisted thoracoscopic image-guided spine surgery: evolution of 19 years of experience, from endoscopy to fully integrated 3D navigation.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the evolution of thoracoscopic spine surgery from basic endoscopic procedures using fluoroscopy and anatomical localization through developmental iterations to the current technology use in which endoscopy and image-guided surgery are merged with intraoperative CT scanning.

Methods: The authors provided detailed explanations of their thoracoscopic spine surgery techniques, beginning with their early-generation endoscopy with fluoroscopic localization, which was followed with point surface matching techniques and early image guidance. The authors supplanted this with the modern era of image guidance, thoracoscopic spine surgery, and seamless integration that has reached its current level of refinement.