1. Educational Programs May Reduce Unnecessary Costs in Spine Surgery
An educational program for surgeons can reduce unnecessary hardware “explantations” during spinal surgery, according to a study published in Spine.
2. Preoperative Education May Increase Pain Management After Spinal Surgery
Implementation of preoperative education for spinal surgery patients had a positive impact on patient satisfaction, especially for pain management, according to a study in the International Journal of Spine Surgery.
3. Age Represents Greatest Risk Factor for Cervical Radiculopathy Among Military Members
Age is most likely the greatest risk factor for cervical radiculopathy among military members, according to a study published in the Journal of Spinal Disorders & Techniques.
4. Depositing Vancomycin May Reduce Infection Rates After Spinal Surgery
Depositing vancomycin into deep spinal surgery wounds may be a cost-effective method of lowering infection rates, according to a Medscape Medical News report.
5. Monitoring Spinal Cord During Surgery May Prevent Paralysis
The American Academy of Neurology has issued an updated guideline, which details evidence showing that intraoperative monitoring the spinal cord during spinal surgery and certain chest surgeries can help prevent paralysis that can be related to the surgery.
6. Greater Bone Cement Injections Can Help Deformity Corrections After Vertebroplasty
According to a study published in Spine, a greater volume of bone cement injected when performing vertebroplasty was positively correlated with better deformity correction outcomes, although it also increased the risk of adjacent level fracture.
7. BMP Costs High Without Much Better Results
A study published in Spine found that amongst the population having surgery for lumbar stenosis, there has been an uptake in the use of bone morphogenetic protein but BMP did not reduced likelihood of reoperation in the study.
8. Cornell Researchers Develop Chamber Implant for Spinal Cord Procedure
Researchers at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., have developed a surgical procedure on a mouse spinal cord to better understand and treat spinal cord pathology, according to an article in Nature Methods.
9. Anatomic Patterns Could Influence Appropriate Scoliosis Treatments
According to a study published in Spine, different anatomic patterns of proximal thoracic curves could cause different altered positions of the esophagus relative to the spine and result in different potential risks of esophageal injuries during thoracic pedicle screw insertion.
10. Spinal Fusions for Rett Syndrome Risk Postoperative Complications
A study published in Spine found that spinal fusions for scoliosis in patients with Rett Syndrome can have satisfactory technical results but involve high rates of early postoperative medical problems.
