We measured the serum concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP) by a high-sensitive method in patients with lumbar disc herniation. There were 48 patients in the study group and 53 normal controls. The level and type of herniation were evaluated. The clinical data including the neurological findings, the angle of straight leg raising and post-operative recovery as measured by the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score, were recorded. The high-sensitive CRP (hs-CRP) was measured by an ultrasensitive latex-enhanced immunoassay. The mean hs-CRP concentration was 0.056 ± 0.076 mg/dl in the patient group and 0.017 ± 0.021 mg/dl in the control group. The difference was statistically significant (p = 0.006). There was no other correlation between the hs-CRP concentration and the level and type of herniation, or the pre-operative clinical data. A positive correlation was found between the concentration of hs-CRP before operation and the JOA score after. Those with a higher concentration of hs-CRP before operation showed a poorer recovery after. The significantly high concentration of serum hs-CRP might indicate a systemic inflammatory response to impingement of the nerve root caused by disc herniation and might be a predictor of recovery after operation.
Aims. High-grade dysplastic spondylolisthesis is a disabling disorder for which many different operative techniques have been described. The aim of this study is to evaluate Scoliosis Research Society 22-item (SRS-22r) scores, global balance, and regional spino-pelvic alignment from two to 25 years after surgery for high-grade dysplastic spondylolisthesis using an all-posterior partial reduction, transfixation technique. Methods. SRS-22r and full-spine lateral radiographs were collected for the 28
The aim of the present study was to answer the question whether curve morphology and location have an influence on rigid conservative treatment in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). We retrospectively analyzed AIS in 127 patients with single and double curves who had been treated with a Chêneau brace and physiotherapeutic specific exercises (B-PSE). The inclusion criteria were the presence of structural major curves ≥ 20° and < 50° (Risser stage 0 to 2) at the time when B-PSE was initiated. The patients were divided into two groups according to the outcome of treatment: failure (curve progression to ≥ 45° or surgery) and success (curve progression < 45° and no surgery). The main curve type (MCT), curve magnitude, and length (overall, above and below the apex), apical rotation, initial curve correction, flexibility, and derotation by the brace were compared between the two groups.Aims
Methods
Lumbar spondylolysis can heal with conservative treatment, but few attempts have been made to identify factors which may affect union of the defects in the pars. We have evaluated, retrospectively, the effects of prognostic variables on bony union of pars defects in 134
We investigated the relationship between spinopelvic
parameters and disc degeneration in
Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is uncommon in youth
and few cases are treated surgically. Very few outcome studies exist
for LDH surgery in this age group. Our aim was to explore differences
in gender in pre-operative level of disability and outcome of surgery
for LDH in patients aged ≤ 20 years using prospectively collected
data. From the national Swedish SweSpine register we identified 180
patients with one-year and 108 with two-year follow-up data ≤ 20
years of age, who between the years 2000 and 2010 had a primary
operation for LDH. Both male and female patients reported pronounced impairment
before the operation in all patient reported outcome measures, with
female patients experiencing significantly greater back pain, having
greater analgesic requirements and reporting significantly inferior
scores in EuroQol (EQ-5D-index), EQ-visual analogue scale, most aspects
of Short Form-36 and Oswestry Disabilities Index, when compared
with male patients. Surgery conferred a statistically significant
improvement in all registered parameters, with few gender discrepancies.
Quality of life at one year following surgery normalised in both
males and females and only eight patients (4.5%) were dissatisfied with
the outcome. Virtually all parameters were stable between the one-
and two-year follow-up examination. LDH surgery leads to normal health and a favourable outcome in
both male and female patients aged 20 years or younger, who failed
to recover after non-operative management. Cite this article:
Cardiac disease in patients with ankylosing spondylitis
(AS) has previously been studied but not in patients with a kyphosis
or in those who have undergone an operation to correct it. The aim of this study was to measure the post-operative changes
in cardiac function of patients with an AS kyphosis after pedicle
subtraction osteotomy (PSO). The original cohort consisted of 39 patients (33 men, six women).
Of these, four patients (two men, two women) were lost to follow-up
leaving 35 patients (31 men, four women) to study. The mean age
of the remaining patients was 37.4 years (22.3 to 47.8) and their
mean duration of AS was 17.0 years (4.6 to 26.4). Echocardiographic measurements,
resting heart rate (RHR), physical function score (PFS), and full-length
standing spinal radiographs were obtained before surgery and at
the two-year follow-up. The mean pre-operative RHR was 80.2 bpm (60.6 to 112.3) which
dropped to a mean of 73.7 bpm (60.7 to 90.6) at the two-year follow-up
(p = 0.0000). Of 15 patients with normal ventricular function pre-operatively,
two developed mild left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD)
at the two-year follow-up. Of 20 patients with mild LVDD pre-operatively
only five had this post-operatively. Overall, 15 patients had normal
LV diastolic function before their operation and 28 patients had
normal LV function at the two-year follow-up. The clinical improvement was 15 out of 20 (75.0%): cardiac function
in patients with AS whose kyphosis was treated by PSO was significantly
improved. Cite this article:
Fractures of the odontoid peg are common spinal
injuries in the elderly. This study compares the survivorship of
a cohort of elderly patients with an isolated fracture of the odontoid
peg A total of 32 patients with an isolated odontoid fracture were
identified. The rate of mortality was 37.5% (n = 12) at one year.
The period of greatest mortality was within the first 12 weeks.
Time made a lesser contribution from then to one year, and there
was no impact of time on the rate of mortality thereafter. The rate
of mortality at one year was 41.2% for male patients (7 of 17) compared
with 33.3% for females (5 of 15). The rate of mortality at one year was 32% (225 of 702) for patients
with a fracture of the hip and 4% (9 of 221) for those with a fracture
of the wrist. There was no statistically significant difference
in the rate of mortality following a hip fracture and an odontoid
peg fracture (p = 0.95). However, the survivorship of the wrist
fracture group was much better than that of the odontoid peg fracture
group (p <
0.001). Thus, a fracture of the odontoid peg in the
elderly is not a benign injury and is associated with a high rate
of mortality, especially in the first three months after the injury. Cite this article:
A combined anterior and posterior surgical approach
is generally recommended in the treatment of severe congenital kyphosis,
despite the fact that the anterior vascular supply of the spine
and viscera are at risk during exposure. The aim of this study was
to determine whether the surgical treatment of severe congenital thoracolumbar
kyphosis through a single posterior approach is feasible, safe and
effective. We reviewed the records of ten patients with a mean age of 11.1
years (5.4 to 14.1) who underwent surgery either by pedicle subtraction
osteotomy or by vertebral column resection with instrumented fusion
through a single posterior approach. The mean kyphotic deformity improved from 59.9° (45° to 110°)
pre-operatively to 17.5° (3° to 40°) at a mean follow-up of 47.0
months (29 to 85). Spinal cord monitoring was used in all patients
and there were no complications during surgery. These promising
results indicate the possible advantages of the described technique
over the established procedures. We believe that surgery should
be performed in case of documented progression and before structural
secondary curves develop. Our current strategy after documented
progression is to recommend surgery at the age of five years and
when 90% of the diameter of the spinal canal has already developed. Cite this article:
This article reviews the current knowledge of
the intervertebral disc (IVD) and its association with low back
pain (LBP). The normal IVD is a largely avascular and aneural structure
with a high water content, its nutrients mainly diffusing through
the end plates. IVD degeneration occurs when its cells die or become
dysfunctional, notably in an acidic environment. In the process
of degeneration, the IVD becomes dehydrated and vascularised, and
there is an ingrowth of nerves. Although not universally the case,
the altered physiology of the IVD is believed to precede or be associated
with many clinical symptoms or conditions including low back and/or
lower limb pain, paraesthesia, spinal stenosis and disc herniation. New treatment options have been developed in recent years. These
include biological therapies and novel surgical techniques (such
as total disc replacement), although many of these are still in
their experimental phase. Central to developing further methods
of treatment is the need for effective ways in which to assess patients
and measure their outcomes. However, significant difficulties remain
and it is therefore an appropriate time to be further investigating
the scientific basis of and treatment of LBP.
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a progressive
multisystem chronic inflammatory disorder. The hallmark of this pathological
process is a progressive fusion of the zygapophyseal joints and
disc spaces of the axial skeleton, leading to a rigid kyphotic deformity
and positive sagittal balance. The ankylosed spine is unable to
accommodate normal mechanical forces, rendering it brittle and susceptible
to injury. Traumatic hyperextension injury of the cervical spine
leading to atlantoaxial subluxation (AAS) in AS patients can often
be fatal. We report a non-traumatic mechanism of injury in AS progressing
to AAS attributable to persistent hyperextension, which resulted
in fatal migration of C2 through the foramen magnum. Cite this article:
Bertolotti’s syndrome is characterised by anomalous enlargement of the transverse process(es) of the most caudal lumbar vertebra which may articulate or fuse with the sacrum or ilium and cause isolated L4/5 disc disease. We analysed the elective MR scans of the lumbosacral spine of 769 consecutive patients with low back pain taken between July 2003 and November 2004. Of these 568 showed disc degeneration. Bertolotti’s syndrome was present in 35 patients with a mean age of 32.7 years (15 to 60). This was a younger age than that of patients with multiple disc degeneration, single-level disease and isolated disc degeneration at the L4/5 level (p ≤ 0.05). The overall incidence of Bertolotti’s syndrome in our study was 4.6% (35 of 769). It was present in 11.4% (20 patients) of the under-30 age group. Our findings suggest that Bertolotti’s syndrome must form part of a list of differential diagnoses in the investigation of low back pain in young people.