Lumbar Interspinous Spacers Are Beneficial for Some Patients. Researchers conducted a clinical and biomechanical review of spine surgeries performed with lumbar interspinous spacers and found that the largest number of studies were done with the X-STOP device. The studies showed that overall the interspinous spacers had a beneficial effect on the kinesmatics of the degenerative spine.
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Ceramic Pins Could Have a Higher Risk of Complication Than Metallic Pins. Researchers reported complications in 40.9 percent of the patients with ceramic pins versus the 21.7 percent of patients who received metal pins. Aseptic loosening rates were 13.7 percent in the ceramic group and 8.3 percent in the metallic group. Pin site infections were 27.3 percent in the ceramic group and 13.3 percent in the metallic group.
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Spinopelvic Alignment Important in Reducing Pain in Adult Spinal Deformity Patients. Researchers studied the correlation between radiographic parameters and patient self-reported pain and disability. The article recommends spine surgeons restore the low sagittal vertical axis and pelvic tilt when planning realignment surgery for adult spinal deformity patients.
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Use Intraoperative Elecrophysiological Monitoring for Best Outcomes. Researchers used the MEDLINE database and reviewed reports on IOM, finding that the baseline data varied from 70 percent to 98 percent for SSEP and 66 percent to 100 percent for MEP. Multimodality intraoperative neuromonitoring provided false negatives in 0 percent to 0.79 percent of the cases, whereas SSEP monitoring alone provided false negatives in 0.063 percent to 2.7 percent of the cases.
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Scoliosis Testing Should Be Administered Broadly to Boys and Girls. Of the 115,178 students tested, 3,228 were referred for radiography. Among the 1,406 students who have displayed a curve of less than or equal to 20 degrees during the screening, 18.3 percent were boys and 23.9 percent were girls 16 years or older, which means schools should screen young adults as well as children.
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C-1 Lateral Mass Screw Fixation Effective for Treating Instability in Pediatric Patients. Researchers retrospectively reviewed outcomes of eight pediatric patients with atlantoaxial instability treated with fusion construct, incorporating C-1 lateral mass screws. In six cases, surgeons used C-2 pedicle screws and in two cases used C-3 lateral mass screw fixation.
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Iliac Wing Fixation Could Improve Lumbosacral Fusion Rates. Researchers examined 78 ambulatory adult patients who received bilateral iliac wing fixation below long fusion constructs. Patients were analyzed clinically and radiographically for complications and completed the Zuckerman questionnaire. Complications were found in 42 patients with an overall complication rate of 54 percent.
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Hybrid Growing Rods May Decrease the Risk of Complication Among Young Patients. Researchers examined 36 children with early-onset spinal deformity treated with various types of growing implants, separated into standard dual growing rods; hybrid growing rods with rib anchors proximally and spine anchors distally; and implants with vertical expandable prosthetic titanium rib.
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