Laminoplasty versus laminectomy with fusion for treating multilevel degenerative cervical myelopathy.

Background: Laminectomy with fusion (LF) and laminoplasty (LP) are common posterior decompression procedures used to treat multilevel degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM). There is debate on their relative efficacy and safety for treatment of DCM. The goal of this study is to examine outcomes and costs of LF and LP procedures for DCM.

Sociodemographic Characteristics of Patients Undergoing Surgery for Metastatic Disease of the Spine.

Introduction: Some patients, particularly those who are socioeconomically deprived, are diagnosed with primary and/or metastatic cancer only after presenting to the emergency department. Our objective was to determine sociodemographic characteristics of patients undergoing surgery for metastatic spine disease at our institution.

Methods: This retrospective case series included patients 18 years and older who presented to the emergency department with metastatic spine disease requiring surgery.

A Comparison of Prognostic Models to Facilitate Surgical Decision-Making for Patients With Spinal Metastatic Disease.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort.

Objective: Compare the performance of and provide cutoff values for commonly used prognostic models for spinal metastases, including Revised Tokuhashi, Tomita, Modified Bauer, New England Spinal Metastases Score (NESMS), and Skeletal Oncology Research Group model, at three- and six-month postoperative time points.

Summary Of Background Data: Surgery may be recommended for patients with spinal metastases causing fracture, instability, pain, and/or neurological compromise.

Socioeconomic and geographic disparities in pediatric scoliosis surgery.

Purpose: To compare the population of pediatric patients undergoing surgery for scoliosis in California by gender, race, and ethnicity and identify any underlying differences in social determinants of health as measured by the child opportunity index (COI), social deprivation index (SDI), and insurance category among them.

Methods: This project extracted demographic reports including patient sex, race, zip code, insurance type, and associated diagnosis and procedure codes from the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD). These data were combined with COI and SDI data, which further describe the socioeconomic environment of each patient.