There is no doubt that the closed body-exhaust system plays an important role in reducing infection rate in total hip arthroplasty. This demands a secure body-exhaust air hose. The current method in securing the air hose by tying the hose ribbons around the waist often fails to hold the hose in place. Soon after the operation begins; the hose that is secured to the body starts to migrate its way up to reach the surgeon’s neck. This will inevitably undermine the effectiveness of the body exhaust system, interfere with the sterility of the surgeon’s gown, and cause discomfort to the arthroplasty surgeon. A new and simple method is described to stop the body exhaust pipe from slipping and migrating up the surgeon’s body. The surgeon’s own buttocks are used to anchor the hose tapes instead of fastening the air hose ribbons around the surgeon’s waist. The new method of using the surgeons buttocks as anchors to secure the body-exhaust hose in place can improve the effectiveness of the body exhaust system and raise its potential to the maximum without causing any discomfort to the surgeon or jeopardise the sterility of the surgeons clothing

The Universal Clamp (U-Clamp) is based in a sub-laminar ribbon and one titanium clamp. The ribbon is passed under the lamina and the clamp is fixed to the rod. The correction is obtained in a very similar way to the old Luque system. This system allows a gradual force of traction on the lamina (translation) like the Luque’s type system without some of its inconvenience (pullout, the irritation that the tip of wires could cause in the soft tissue, not compatible with the MRI). But also added some advantages, such us a higher capability of traction force, and we can perform the MRI after surgery. And in some severe cases, that in the past we had to do in the same patient, an anterior and a posterior approach, now we can achieve the same amount of correction using only posterior approach with the U-Clamps. Our department acquired, throughout more than two decades, a wide experience in the surgical correction of the most severe deformities of the spine, using the sub-laminar steel wiring (Luque’s technique). Although we got satisfactory results, the system had some problems that we already mentioned. The new systems using pedicle screws with or without hooks (considered by most spine surgeons as the “gold standard”) have also some limitations comparing with the Luque system, as Vora, Lenke and al. showed (“Spine” Jan. 2008). It causes frequently hypokyphosis. We tried a hybrid system to correct the spine deformities in the adolescent and children, some with severe curves. Since January 2007, 42 patients were operated using proximal hooks and distal screws and the “U-Clamp” in the apex. In our series the mean age was 15 years old, the youngest was 8 and the oldest 19. Most of them were girls (33). The most common aetiology was AIS (24), three were Cerebral Palsy and the rest had different aetiologies. The instrumentation we used was Incompass. ®. (23) or CD Legacy. ®. (14). The mean deformity angle before surgery was 78.81° (measured by Cobb method), with the maximum deformity 117° and minimum 53°. After correction the mean angle of deformity was 38.56 (maximum 77 e minimum 18). The preoperative flexibility (PF) (%) was 21.56. The postoperative correction (POC) (%) was 52.42. And the Cincinnati correction index (CCI) (%) was 3.7. Comparing our patients with the Vora, Lenke and al. (Spine Jan. 2008), our patients had a more severe deformity and where more stiff with the CCI=3.7 (Vora and Lenke, CCI < 1.95). This new system allows much greater correcting force over the lamina with less wire pullout. Also it doesn’t have the inconvenience of the steel wire if we need to study the patient after surgery with a MRI. The Kyphosis is preserved with this system contrary to the all screw construct. This system has its place in the spine instrumentation, namely, in situations where the deformity is severe and the osteoporosis is important

Aims

Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is a common skeletal system disease that has been partly attributed to genetic variation. However, the correlation between genetic variation and pathological changes in LSS is insufficient, and it is difficult to provide a reference for the early diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

Aims

Degenerative cervical spondylosis (DCS) is a common musculoskeletal disease that encompasses a wide range of progressive degenerative changes and affects all components of the cervical spine. DCS imposes very large social and economic burdens. However, its genetic basis remains elusive.