Facet asymmetry in normal vertebral growth: characterization and etiologic theory of scoliosis.

Study Design: The shape and orientation of the thoracic and lumbar zygapophyseal facets at the T1-L5 level in children were measured and analyzed.

Objective: To detect the pattern of zygapophyseal facet asymmetry in the thoracic and lumbar spines in children.

Summary Of Background Data: Whereas many studies have defined the pattern of zygapophyseal facet asymmetry in adults, there is insufficient data in children.

[Vertebroplasty as a treatment for painful pathological fractures of the vertebral column].

Vertebral fracture due to a metabolic bone disease or a neoplastic disease is a common and debilitating condition occurring mostly due to osteoporosis or metastatic bone disease. Some of the patients suffering from such fractures continue to complain of back pain and deformity despite optimal medical therapy. Vertebroplasty, i.