Scientific validation of reflexology requires an in-depth and noninvasive evaluation of "reflexology/reflex areas" in health and disease. The present paper reports the differential properties of "normal" and "abnormal" reflexology areas related to the lumbar vertebrae in a subject suffering from low back pain. The pathology is supported by radiological evidence. The reflexology target regions w...

Currently, the third generation aromatase inhibitors are the drugs of choice for treatment of early and advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women. The negative impact of these drugs on bone health is the significant limiting factor during this therapy. Here we report the effect of two aromatase inhibitors viz. letrozole and exemestane alone and in combination with raloxifene on lumbar vert...

Posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) is a procedure used to treat problems such as disc degeneration, disc herniation, and spine instability. In this procedure, the surgeon works on the spine from the back and removes a spinal disc in the lower (lumbar) spine. The surgeon inserts bone graft material into the space between the two vertebrae where the disc was removed (the interbody space). T...

For the planning of surgical interventions of the spine exact knowledge about 3D shape and the local bone quality of vertebrae are of great importance in order to estimate the anchorage strength of screws or implants. As a prerequisite for quantitative analysis a method for objective and therefore automated segmentation of vertebrae is needed. In this paper a framework for the automatic segment...

INTRODUCTION Hansen et al [1] and de Zee et al [2] reported on a new and very detailed model of the human lumbar spine. In its current version the model comprises a total of 194 spinal muscle fascicles spanning the pelvis, sacrum, five lumbar vertebrae and the joint between the lumbar and thoracic parts. In addition, the abdominal muscles are included in the model and may contribute to extensio...

INTRODUCTION Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis (DISH) is a very rare cause of dysphagia when it occurs in the cervical spine. It can also affect the lumbar region where it causes deformity. CASE REPORT In this article, a rare case of Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis involving both the cervical and lumbar spine, presenting with dysphagia and spinal stiffness leading to a stoopin...

Although osteochondroma is the most common benign bone tumor, the lumbar spine is anuncommon localization for solitary osteochondroma. Solitary lumbar osteochondromas rarely affect the neurological structures, because most of the lesions grow out of the spinal canal. We report a 48-year-old patient suffering from right foot-drop due to acute compression of right L4 nerve root by...

Diagnosis of far lateml disc herniations has become more common in recent years. This study describes the surgical procedure used for 1 far late l disc herniations, shows the benefits derived from a far lateml approach and retrospectively evaluates the outcome of the surgery. Eight patients were included in the study, five females and three males. The mean age was 62 years (range, 45-77 years)....

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Experimental models of osteoporosis in rabbits are useful to investigate anabolic agents because rabbits have an active Haversian remodeling and achieve skeletal maturity quickly. In this study, an experimental model of osteoporosis in rabbits induced by a combination of ovariectomy and glucocorticoid was characterized to provide a useful model for prevention and therapy ...

BACKGROUND Spinal anesthesia (SA) is the most common regional anesthesia (RA) conducted for many surgical procedures. OBJECTIVES The current study aimed to predict the difficulty score of SA, by which to reduce the complications and ultimately improve the anesthesia quality. MATERIALS AND METHODS Transurethral Lithotripsy (TUL) surgery candidates were enrolled in this observational study fr...