Severe Spinal Instability Research Articles

Rehabilitation of spinal patients with diseases and injury of the cervical spine in the early and late postoperative period (analysis of russian and foreign recommendations)

Despite the success of modern conservative therapy of severe spinal instability, surgical methods still retain their importance in the treatment of this pathology, but even the most successful operation may be in vain without subsequent adequate rehabilitation. This report summarizes the features of rehabilitation of patients after surgery for injuries of the cervical spine using methods and means of physiofunctional treatment.

Treatment for Pyogenic Spondylodiscitis and Spinal Epidural Abscess

Spontaneous spinal infections, such as pyogenic spondylodiscitis(PSD)and spinal epidural abscess(SEA), are relatively rare, but the number of patients is increasing because of the increase in the older population with chronic comorbidities. Magnetic resonance imaging is the most useful tool for identifying PSD or SEA, with high sensitivity and specificity. Effective antibiotic medication is essential to treat the infection, and selection of antibiotics should be based on not only sensitivity to the causative bacteria, but also ability to penetrate bone tissues. Medication should be continued for at least 6 weeks while monitoring C-reactive protein levels. Surgical treatment is indicated when neurological symptoms or severe spinal instability cannot be managed conservatively. Percutaneous endoscopic surgery enables simultaneous tissue sampling for diagnosis and curative debridement without injury to the spinal supporting tissues. Anterior debridement and interbody fusion(ADIF)with autologous bone grafts have been frequently used for PSD. ADIF can be applied more easily to the lumbar spine using techniques and devices for lateral interbody fusion. Posterior decompression is frequently performed in patients with SEA without severe spinal instability. Percutaneous posterior instrumentation, with or without posterior decompression, is a useful option for PSD, especially in the thoracic spine.

The peculiarities and treatment outcomes of the spinal form of chronic non-bacterial osteomyelitis in children: a retrospective cohort study.

Chronic non-bacterial osteomyelitis (CNO) is a group of immune-mediated diseases which appears in bone inflammation, destruction and some orthopaedic consequences, especially in the cases of spinal involvement. This study is to compare characteristics and treatment outcomes of CNO patients with spinal involvement. The retrospective cohort study included data from 91 pediatric patients with CNO. The diagnosis is based on Jannson's criteria with morphological confirmation (nonspecific chronic inflammation). Spine involvement detected by X-ray, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and bone scan in 29 (31.9%) patients. No differences in the family history, concomitant immune-mediated diseases between spinal (SpCNO) and peripheral (pCNO) forms of CNO have been revealed. Only 5 (10.2%) SpCNO patients (10.2%) had monofocal monovertebral involvement. The main risk factors of spinal involvement were female sex: RR = 2.0 (1.1; 3.9), sensitivity (Se) = 0.66, specificity (Sp) = 0.6; multifocal involvement: RR = 2.1 (0.9; 5.0), Se = 0.83, Sp = 0.37; no foot bones involvement: RR = 3.1 (1.3; 7.5), Se = 0.83, Sp = 0.5; sternum involvement RR = 2.3 (1.3; 4.1), Se = 0.24, Sp = 0.94. In the linear regression analysis only female sex (p = 0.005), multifocal involvement (p = 0.000001) and absence of foot bones involvement (p = 0.000001) were independent risk factors of spinal involvement (p = 0.000001). The response rate on bisphosphonates and tumor necrosis factor-a inhibitors was 90.9% and 66.7%, consequently. Only 4/29 (13.8%) SpCNO patients underwent surgery due to severe spinal instability or deformities. The spinal involvement is frequent in CNO and could be crucial for choosing a treatment strategy. Bisphosphonates and TNFa-inhibitors could be effective treatment options for severe SpCNO.

The biomechanical effect of single-level laminectomy and posterior instrumentation on spinal stability in degenerative lumbar scoliosis: a human cadaveric study.

OBJECTIVEDegenerative lumbar scoliosis, or de novo degenerative lumbar scoliosis, can result in spinal canal stenosis, which is often accompanied by disabling symptoms. When surgically treated, a single-level laminectomy is performed and short-segment posterior instrumentation is placed to restore stability. However, the effects of laminectomy on spinal stability and the necessity of placing posterior instrumentation are unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the stability of lumbar spines with degenerative scoliosis, characterized by the range of motion (ROM) and neutral zone (NZ) stiffness, after laminectomy and placement of posterior instrumentation.METHODSTen lumbar cadaveric spines (T12-L5) with a Cobb angle ≥ 10° and an apex on L3 were included. Three loading cycles were applied per direction, from -4 Nm to 4 Nm in flexion/extension (FE), lateral bending (LB), and axial rotation (AR). Biomechanical evaluation was performed on the native spines and after subsequent L3 laminectomy and the placement of posterior L2-4 titanium rods and pedicle screws. Nonparametric and parametric tests were used to analyze the effects of laminectomy and posterior instrumentation on NZ stiffness and ROM, respectively, both on an individual segment's motion and on the entire spine section. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to study the correlation between disc degeneration and spinal stability.RESULTSThe laminectomy increased ROM by 9.5% in FE (p = 0.04) and 4.6% in LB (p = 0.01). For NZ stiffness, the laminectomy produced no significant effects. Posterior instrumentation resulted in a decrease in ROM in all loading directions (-22.2%, -24.4%, and -17.6% for FE, LB, and AR, respectively; all p < 0.05) and an increase in NZ stiffness (+44.7%, +51.7%, and +35.2% for FE, LB, and AR, respectively; all p < 0.05). The same changes were seen in the individual segments around the apex, while the adjacent, untreated segments were mostly unaffected. Intervertebral disc degeneration was found to be positively correlated to decreased ROM and increased NZ stiffness.CONCLUSIONSLaminectomy in lumbar spines with degenerative scoliosis did not result in severe spinal instability, whereas posterior instrumentation resulted in a rigid construct. Also, prior to surgery, the spines already had lower ROM and higher NZ stiffness in comparison to values shown in earlier studies on nonscoliotic spines of the same age. Hence, the authors question the clinical need for posterior instrumentation to avoid instability.

Rationale in the Management of 4-Level Lumbar Spondylolyses With or Without Instability and/or Spondylolisthesis

Case report. To report the first case of 4-level lumbar spondylolysis in the literature. Although there are quite a few reported cases of 2- or 3-level spondylolysis, none reported on 4-level spondylolysis. Management guidelines have not been suggested in literature. A 48-year-old female presented with long-standing severe spinal instability, low back pain, and bilateral neurogenic claudication. Management of the patient with 4-level spondylolysis, varied clinical profile of each of the levels with respect to clinical symptoms and treatment based on the usefulness of pars block is described. Two levels were treated with intervertebral fusions, 1 level with pars repair, and conservative treatment of the last level pars lysis yielded in good clinicoradiological outcome in our patient. Success of management of multiple lyses depends on the choice of appropriate treatment for each level separately. Pars block is a good invasive investigation to detect the symptomatic levels in a complex situation.

A biomechanical study of the recovery in spinal stability of flexion/extension and torsion after the resection of different posterior lumbar structures in a sheep model

Posterior lumbar structures are vital for spinal stability, and many researchers thought that laminectomy and facetectomy would lead to severe spinal instability. However, because living organisms have compensatory repair capacities, their long-term condition after injuries may change over time. To study the changes in the lumbar biomechanical stability of flexion/extension and torsion at different time points after the resection of various posterior structures, as well as to assess the capacity for self-healing, sheep that had undergone laminectomy or facetectomy were used as an experimental animal model. The injured sheep models included three groups: laminectomy only, laminectomy plus left total facetectomy, and laminectomy plus bilateral facetectomy. Eight nonoperative sheep were used as the control group. At 0, 6, 12, 24, and 36 weeks after injury, the lumbar specimens were harvested for biomechanical testing using the Instron 8874 servohydraulic biomechanical testing system. The changes in the injured lumbar spine were also analyzed through radiological examination. The lumbar stability in flexion/extension and torsion was severely decreased after the three types of surgery. After 6 weeks, the flexion/extension mechanical parameters recovered substantially; each parameter had returned to normal levels by 12 weeks and exceeded the intact group by 24 and 36 weeks. Torsional stiffness also recovered gradually over time. All injury groups demonstrated decreased intervertebral space and degeneration or even fusion in the small joints of the surgical segment or in adjacent segments. These results indicate that the body has the ability to repair the mechanical instability to a certain extent.

Fulminant Clostridium Difficile Colitis After Surgical Treatment of Cervical Destructive Spondyloarthropathy: A Case Report.

The number of spinal surgical procedures in hemodialysis patients has increased with advances in medical management, but these procedures remain a challenge due to the high morbidity and mortality rate in this patient population. To our knowledge, destructive spondyloarthropathy in the cervical spine was first reported as a serious complication of hemodialysis by Kuntz et al.1 in 1984. Once present, destructive spondyloarthropathy can progress rapidly, resulting in severe spinal instability and consequently neurological compromise. Destructive spondyloarthropathy in the cervical spine requires an aggressive approach with surgical decompression and stabilization, but it carries a high risk of complications due to the underlying comorbidities. In eleven publications, there have been eighteen deaths reported in ninety-nine surgical cases of cervical spondyloarthropathy in hemodialysis patients2-12. Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a common cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea. The clinical presentation of CDI varies, ranging from an asymptomatic carrier state to a severe form of colitis, commonly known as fulminant C. difficile colitis (FCDC), which can lead to multiple organ failure. It is estimated that up to 3% of patients with CDI progress to FCDC13,14. Although progression to FCDC is uncommon, it is associated with a high mortality rate of 53% to 80%15,16. We present the case of a hemodialysis patient with cervical myelopathy due to destructive spondyloarthropathy who developed FCDC after surgical treatment of the cervical spine. We explained to the patient’s family that data concerning the case would be submitted for publication, and they gave their consent. A fifty-six-year-old woman with end-stage renal disease, secondary to kidney cysts, had been treated with maintenance hemodialysis for two years prior to presentation to us. She had developed neck pain, radiating into the right arm, which slowly worsened over a period of six months. …

Repetitive Contained Rupture of an Infected Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm With Concomitant Vertebral Erosion

We describe a rare case of surgical treatment for a repeated contained rupture of an infected abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) with concomitant vertebral erosion. A 59-year-old man presented to a nearby hospital with abdominal pain and fever. On admission, computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a contained rupture of AAA, but the patient declined the offer of surgical therapy. Thereafter, the retroperitoneal hematoma gradually reduced in size. The third and fourth lumbar vertebrae were eroded on the CT scan 12 months after the appearance of the first symptom. However, 21 months after the first symptom, he suffered severe lumbago and was diagnosed with recurrence of contained AAA rupture and vertebral body destruction. He underwent debridement of eroded vertebrae and in situ graft replacement of AAA with omentum flap wrapping. Intraoperative microscopic examination of the hematoma revealed gram-positive Streptococcus. His postoperative course was uneventful, and CT 12 months after surgery did not reveal further deterioration of vertebral erosion or fluid accumulation. Repetitive contained AAA rupture may be another entity in contrast to chronic contained AAA rupture. Vertebral erosion could be associated with infection rather than mass effects of the contained hematoma. Surgical treatment is indicated to prevent life-threatening re-rupture and severe spinal instability.

Severe spinal instability after posterior surgery for osteoporotic lumbar vertebral compression fracture: a case report

Severe spinal instability after posterior surgery for osteoporotic lumbar vertebral compression fracture: a case report

Titanium mesh fusion device in the treatment of thoracolumbar burst fracture

clinic, often leads to severe spinal instability and neurologic deficit. In most cases, the compression that caused by backward protrusion of the fracture fragments to the spinal cord, makes complete decompression difficult through a posterior approach. Here, we reviewed the clinical records of 22 patients with thoracolumbar burst fracture treated by anterior corpectomy, decompression of the spinal cord, and implantation of titanium mesh cage.

Kyphoplasty-augmented short-segment pedicle screw fixation of traumatic lumbar burst fractures: initial clinical experience and literature review

Surgical intervention for thoracolumbar burst fractures is indicated for patients with neurological deficits and/or evidence of severe spinal instability. The goals of surgery are decompression, deformity correction, and stabilization. Nevertheless, the optimal surgical strategy to achieve these goals remains a subject of debate. Short-segment pedicle screw fixation is associated with a 20 to 50% incidence of pedicle screw failure and progressive spinal deformity. Initial biomechanical and clinical studies have shown that reinforcement of short-segment pedicle screw fixation with vertebroplasty improves spinal stability and decreases instrument failure rates. In this study, the authors describe their initial clinical experience with kyphoplasty used to augment short-segment pedicle screw fixation of traumatic lumbar burst fractures. Five patients with traumatic burst fractures of the lumbar spine were included in this retrospective review of patients treated for this disorder at the University of California, San Diego and the University of California, San Francisco between 2002 and 2004. All patients underwent transpedicular kyphoplasty and short-segment pedicle screw fixation. The mean follow-up period was 10.6 months (range 6-18 months). All patients underwent short-segment pedicle screw fixation reinforced with polymethyl methacrylate kyphoplasty. The preoperative, postoperative, and follow-up plain x-ray films were evaluated. Radiographic analysis included measurements of kyphotic angulation, anterior vertebral body height, and evidence of bone fusion. Clinical evaluation was performed postoperatively and at follow-up review. Based on the authors' initial experience, kyphoplasty supplementation may improve the long-term integrity of short-segment pedicle screw constructs and allow for improved rates of fusion and better clinical outcomes in patients with traumatic lumbar burst fractures.