A method to locate the radial digital nerve of the index finger.

The radial digital nerve of the index finger is susceptible to injury during penetrating trauma or elective release of the A1 pulley. The intersection of a line drawn down the midline of the index finger and the proximal palmar crease identifies the location of the radial digital nerve. This method of identifying the topography of the nerve should assist the surgeon in determining the likelihood of injury after penetrating trauma, and preventing injury during elective procedures.

Guidelines to decortication in posterolateral spine fusion.

Despite the development of innovative approaches and the general success that has been achieved with spinal fusion, the rate of nonunion in some studies has been reported as high as 35%. Decortication has been shown to promote the fusion process and provides not only a rich source of vascular supply from the underlying cancellous bone, but also access to pluripotent stem cells within the marrow. Although the blood supply to the lumbar spine has been described, little attention has been paid to relevant areas of the spine most affected by decortication during the posterolateral fusion process.