INTRODUCTION: Spine growth modification alters stress distributions in vertebral growth plates and discs, and one method has been approved for an early stage prospective clinical study. Quantification of stresses is required to help assess implant efficacy and disc health. More generally, despite widespread and necessary use of animals in preclinical studies of spine instrumentation, limited qu...

Low back pain (LBP) is very prevalent in the general population. Treatment of nonradicular back pain, in the absence of deformity, continues to be controversial. Recently, anatomic dissections, magnetic resonance imaging studies, and the use of provocative discograms (pain-related response during the injection similar to the typical pattern of pain reported prior to the procedure) have contribu...

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY A prospective cohort study evaluates the functional and radiological outcome of thoracolumbar spine fractures treated either with open or percutaneous dorsal instrumentation. In recent years, several studies advocate percutaneous stabilization of spinal fractures in patients without neurological deficits. However, it is still debated whether percutaneous stabilization is su...

The field of modern biomechanics has deep historical roots from the ancient Egyptians, who documented the earliest accounts of spinal injury (2600–2200 BC), as well as from the ancient Hindus, who were noted for their treatment of spinal deformities (3500–1800 BC). Building on this foundation, the modern explosion of spinal instrumentation introduced the concept of internal fixation for spinal ...

STUDY DESIGN This technique article describes accomplishing multilevel posterior cervical decompression and lateral mass screw placement through a tubular retraction system. OBJECTIVE Multilevel foraminotomy and instrumented fusion using lateral mass screw fixation can be achieved through a minimally invasive technique using specialized retractors and intraoperative fluoroscopic imaging. SU...

Introduction Poor bone quality due to osteoporosis is an increasing problem in dorsal transpedicular instrumentation of the aging spine. As the number of patients and indications are increasing, complications as screw loosening, cut-out, migration and loss of reduction are more and more observed [1,2]. These complications can be avoided to a large degree by choosing appropriate implant design a...

PURPOSE The treatment of vertebral burst fractures is still controversial. The aim of the study is to evaluate the purpose of additional percutaneous intravertebral reduction when combined with dorsal instrumentation. METHODS In this biomechanical cadaver study twenty-eight spine segments (T11-L3) were used (male donors, mean age 64.9 ± 6.5 years). Burst fractures of L1 were generated using a...

OBJECTIVE Open vascular surgical procedures have decreased since the advent of endovascular repair. Advances in spinal fusion techniques and artificial disc replacement have led to an increase in the need for anterior retroperitoneal exposure of the lumbar spine (ARES). Vascular surgeons participate as "exposure surgeons" for these cases due to their unique skills in dealing with retroperitonea...