Spine

Minimally invasive surgical treatment on the lumbar spine can be safely performed on elderly patients, according to an article published in Spine.

Employing minimally invasive surgical techniques can significantly improve intraoperative blood loss, postoperative pain, surgical morbidity and return to function, according to an article published in Spine.

The Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial compared surgical and nonsurgical outcomes for three common lumbar spine diagnoses and found that when applying strict inclusion criteria, surgery can provide better treatment for patients, according to an article published in AAOS Now.

Nucleoplasty may not be an effective procedure for treating discogenic spine pain, according to an article published in the Journal of Spinal Disorders & Techniques.

Michael Shapiro, MD, chief orthopedic spine surgeon at South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, N.Y., recently spoke about performing XLIF alongside UFC Fighter Nate Quarry, who underwent the procedure from another surgeon in 2006, according to a Long Island News…

Three wrong-level spinal surgeries at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston from September to October show the challenge of identifying correct vertebrae even at one of the better hospitals, according to a news report by the Boston Globe.

Extreme lateral interbody fusion surgeries are usually performed with short OR times, minimal blood loss and few complications, according to an article published in Spine.

The mini-open lateral approach to minimally invasive surgical treatment for thoracic spine tumor removal is a safe and effective procedure, according to an article published in Spine.

Botulinum neurotoxin type A — or Botox — may reduce responses to an inflammation-related pain stimulus when injected into the spine, following a study that showed positive effects on mice, published in the Jan. 2011 issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia.

Minimally invasive surgery for decompression using a flexible microblade shaver system is an effective way to perform facet preserving decompression for patients with lumbar spinal stenosis, according to an article published in Spine.