Daniel Jonsson and Kjell Olmarker INTRODUCTION The acute onset of radicular pain in the lower extremity, commonly referred to as sciatica, is a phenomenon that has had documented impact on human lives for as far back in time as history allows us to review.1 Ancient Egyptians and Greeks, Hippocrates included, introduced an organic rather than … Read more
Kazuhiro Hasegawa and Kei Watanabe INTRODUCTION Lumbar segmental instability is an unstable condition of the functional spinal unit of the lumbar spine. The definition is, however, yet to be clarified. In the clinical setting, evaluation of degenerative lumbar spines has been widely performed using X-ray measurement,1-7 but its usefulness for the diagnosis of segmental instability … Read more
Fady Y. Hijji, Ankur S. Narain, Kern Singh and Jonathan N. Grauer INTRODUCTION Patient-centered outcomes and safety are central aspects of health care. Reform will require changes in quality and efficacy of treatment. Surgical treatment for spine disorders is rapidly growing in prevalence and cost – spinal fusion is currently the most expensive procedure performed … Read more
Tamir Ailon, MD, MPH INTRODUCTION Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory arthropathy that affects multiple joints in the extremities and axial skeleton. It is characterized by joint destruction which is thought to arise from autoimmune-mediated inflammation. Attenuation of ligamentous support structures around affected joints may lead to instability. RA is commonly associated with osteopenia and … Read more
Kevin Taliaferro; Sigurd Berven INTRODUCTION Paget’s disease is a disorder of bone metabolism that results in an abnormal bone turnover and remodeling. The effect of Paget’s disease on bone leads to compromise in the strength of cancellous bone architecture and may cause pain, risk of fracture and deformity. Paget’s disease of bone most commonly is … Read more
Comron Saifi, Joseph M. Lombardi, and Frank M. Phillips INTRODUCTION Degenerative scoliosis is an increasingly common pathology in the elderly population, posing clinical challenges for the surgeon and patient alike. Approximately 68% of adults over the age of 60 have some degree of degenerative scoliosis, defined as coronal curvature of the spine greater than 10 … Read more
Varsha Gandhi, Debbie Brown and Esther Williamson INTRODUCTION Low back pain is common amongst older adults (usually considered to be people over 65 years of age). Nearly one third of older adults reported bothersome back pain in the last month, more often than hip or knee pain.1 Older people, as compared to younger people, report … Read more
Nicolas Plais, MD and Federico P. Girardi, MD INTRODUCTION/CONCEPTS In 2003,1 Bertagnoli et al. described the transpsoas approach to access the retroperitoneal lumbar spine. In 2006,2 Ozgur et al. described a minimally invasive technique for anterior lumbar interbody fusion with less morbidity than the classic retroperitoneal approach. Today, lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) is a … Read more
Prasanna K. Venkatesh, Catherine Moran, and Ciaran Bolger INTRODUCTION Low back pain is one of the most prevalent problems in industrialized countries, affecting nearly 80% of adults at some time in their lives.1 A variety of pathologies cause low back pain, most common among them degenerative disc disease. It has been postulated that annular tears, … Read more
Kajsa Rennerfelt, Deep Sharma, and Helena Brisby INTRODUCTION Degenerative spondylolisthesis is defined as “an acquired anterior displacement of one vertebra over the subjacent vertebra in the sagittal plane, associated with degenerative changes, without an associated disruption or defect in the vertebral ring” (referring to the NASS (North American Spine Society) Guidelines).1 While displacement in other … Read more