OBJECTIVES No studies have compared monoaxial and polyaxial pedicle screws with regard to the von Mises stress of the instrumentation, intradiscal pressures of the adjacent segment and adjacent segment degeneration. METHODS Short-segment monoaxial/polyaxial pedicle screw fixation techniques were compared using finite element methods, and the redistributed T11-L1 segment range of motion, large...

This study is a prospective analysis of 10 patients who underwent intradiscal injection of hematopoietic precursor stem cells (HSCs) obtained from their pelvic bone marrow in an attempt to rejuvenate the disc. Several studies in animals express the ability to regrow disc tissue with possible regenerative effects. No human studies have been done to date. Patients were randomly offered the option...

A preliminary report of clinical study revealed that chronic discogenic low back pain could be treated by intradiscal methylene blue (MB) injection. We investigated the effect of intradiscal MB injection for the treatment of chronic discogenic low back pain in a randomized placebo-controlled trial. We recruited 136 patients who were found potentially eligible after clinical examination and 72 b...

Magalhaes et al reported on randomized controlled trials of ozone therapy as a treatment for low back pain secondary to herniated intervertebral discs (HID) (1). We have read their article with interest and want to add important concerns. Ozone therapy has become an alternative treatment for low back pain secondary to a herniated disc. Although the exact mechanism of action of medical ozone is ...

BACKGROUND Discogenic low back is a distinct clinic entity characterized by pain arising from a damaged disc. The diagnosis is clouded by the controversy surrounding discography. The treatment options are limited, with unsatisfactory results from both conservative treatment and surgery. Multiple interventional therapies have been developed to treat discogenic pain, but most have not yet been va...

BACKGROUND Discography has been widely used in the lumbar and cervical spine as a diagnostic tool to identify sources of discogenic pain that may be amenable to surgical treatment. Discography in the cervical spine is currently performed without the benefit of pressure monitoring, and corresponding pressure parameters have not been determined. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to develo...

BACKGROUND Laser ablation under an epiduroscopic view allows for the vaporization of a small amount of the nucleus pulposus, causing a reduction in intradiscal pressure and relief of radicular pain. Currently, Ho:YAG and Nd:YAG lasers are commonly used for spinal diseases. However, the use of the Nd:YAG laser for intra-spinal procedures can be limited because of thermal injury and low efficacy....