The literature on lesions of the subthalamic body or corpus Luysi has largely concerned itself with unilateral involvement of this nucleus as manifested clinically by the syndrome of hemiballismus. In an exhaustive review of the literature, Whittier (1) found 30 cases of hemiballismus associated with isolated lesions in the subthalamic body. In the majority these were of a vascular nature. Bila...

Degenerative spinal disorders, including intervertebral disc disease and spondylosis, seldom occur in domestic cats. In contrast, a retrospective study of 13 lions (Panthera leo), 16 tigers (Panthera tigris), 4 leopards (Panthera pardis), 1 snow leopard (Panthera uncia), and 3 jaguars (Panthera onca) from the Knoxville Zoo that died or were euthanatized from 1976 to 1996 indicated that degenera...

Degenerative joint disease (DJD) is characterized by pain on use. X-rays show cartilage narrowing and osteophytes. Synovial effusions are non-inflammatory, i.e. clear wiht good viscosity and less than 2000 WBC per mm. 3 Cartilage fragments may be seen in the joint fluid. Important systemic diseases that can cause degenerative joint disease include ochronosis, hemochromatosis, hyperparathyroidis...

Low back pain is widely recognized as one of the most prevalent pathologies in the developed world. In the United States, low back pain is the most common health problem for adults under the age of 50, resulting in significant societal and personal costs. While the causes of low back pain are myriad, it has been significantly associated with intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration. Current first...

The diagnostic of degenerative disc disease should be reached with the help of various diagnostic studies. This article briefly review the information gained by the following tests: radiographs, computed tomography, magnetic resonance, and discography. The article explains how each modality provides a piece of the diagnostic puzzle and how discography confirms the origin of the patient's pain.

We have measured the dynamic movement of the lumbar spine in 57 patients with degenerative lumbar disc disease. Each completed a questionnaire which recorded pain and subjective signs and symptoms. From plain lateral radiographs, the subjects were graded using the criteria of Kellgren and Lawrence and those of Lane et al, which are both based on the severity of degenerative changes. Measurement...

we report the case of a 73-year-old female with severe degenerative scoliosis and back and leg pain that wassuccessfully treated with stand- alone cages via an extreme lateral transpsoas approach. this patient had declinedopen surgery and instrumentation due to her advanced age concerns about potential side effects.

Lumbar degenerative disc disease is extremely common. Current evidence supports surgery in carefully selected patients who have failed non-operative treatment and do not exhibit any substantial psychosocial overlay. Fusion surgery employing the correct grafting and stabilization techniques has long-term results demonstrating successful clinical outcomes. However, the best approach for fusion re...