Advancing Spine Fracture Detection: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Clinical Practice.

Vertebral fractures are prevalent skeletal injuries commonly associated with osteoporosis, trauma, and degenerative diseases. Early and accurate diagnosis is crucial to prevent complications such as chronic pain and progressive spinal deformities. In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a powerful tool in medical imaging to support automatic detection and classification of vertebral fractures.

Feasibility study for real-time thin-film solar cell-based personnel radiation dosimeter during fluoroscopic surgical procedure.

Background: C-arm fluoroscopy is a widely used imaging technique in surgical procedures, but it exposes medical personnel to ionizing radiation, increasing the need for effective radiation monitoring. Conventional dosimeters used for measuring radiation exposure have limitations, such as being difficult to integrate into real-time monitoring systems. Therefore, developing a compact, cost-effective, and efficient real-time personnel dosimeter is critical to enhance radiation safety.

Pedicle Enhancement on contrast-enhanced MRI As A Risk Factor for Progressive Collapse in Acute Osteoporotic Compression Fractures.

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Objective: To verify the association between pedicle enhancement (PE) on contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and progressive collapse, and analyze the correlation between the degree of PE and progressive collapse.

Summary Of Background Data: Osteoporotic compression fracture (OCF) is generally considered a stable fracture, with most patients achieving successful recovery through conservative treatment such as bracing and physical therapy.

Correlation Between Calcification of Facet Joint Capsule and Dynamic Instability in Lumbar Degenerative Spondylolisthesis.

Background: To evaluate the association between facet joint capsule calcification (FCC) on computed tomography and dynamic instability on weight-bearing flexion-extension lateral X-ray in patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis at L4-5.

Methods: Clinical and radiologic data from 388 patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis who underwent lumbar magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, and dynamic X-ray within a 1-month interval from January 2012 to December 2021 were reviewed in this study. Radiologic factors associated with dynamic instability were evaluated: FCC, facet degeneration grade, facet joint fluid, facet tropism, disc degeneration grade, traction spur, and vacuum phenomenon.

Translation of computed tomography images to T2-Weighted magnetic resonance images of lumbar spine using generative adversarial networks on sagittal images.

This study aims to develop a generative adversarial networks (GAN)-based image translation model for synthesizing lumbar spine Computed Tomography (CT) to Magnetic Resonance (MR) images, focusing on sagittal images, and to evaluate its performance. A cycle-consistent GAN was used to translate lumbar spine CT slices into synthetic T2-weighted MR images. The model was trained on a dataset of 100 cases with co-registered CT and MR images in the sagittal plane from patients with degenerative disease.

Predictive stress analysis in simplified spinal disc model using physics-informed neural networks.

This study develops a physics-informed neural network (PINN) model to predict stress distribution in a simplified spinal disc structure. The model incorporates 3D spatial inputs and enforces equilibrium conditions through a custom loss function. Trained on synthetic elasticity-based data, it achieves an MAE of 0.

Induced Neural Stem Cell Transplantation in Spinal Cord Injury: Present Status and Next Steps.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) remains a significant clinical challenge, with no fully effective treatment available despite advancements in various therapeutic approaches. This review examines the emerging role of induced neural stem cells (iNSCs) as promising candidates for SCI treatment, highlighting their potential for direct neural regeneration and integration with host tissue. We explore the biology of iNSCs, their mechanisms of action, and their interactions with host tissue, including modulating inflammatory responses, promoting axonal growth, and reconstructing neural circuits.

Surgical and Neurointensive Management for Acute Spinal Cord Injury: A Narrative Review.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) following high-energy trauma often leads to lasting neurologic deficits and severe socioeconomic impact. Effective neurointensive care, particularly in the early stages post-injury, is essential for optimizing outcomes. This review discusses the role of neurointensive care in managing SCI, emphasizing early assessment, stabilization, and intervention strategies based on recent evidence-based practices.

Using Artificial Intelligence in the Comprehensive Management of Spinal Cord Injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) frequently results in persistent motor, sensory, or autonomic dysfunction, and the outcomes are largely determined by the location and severity of the injury. Despite significant technological progress, the intricate nature of the spinal cord anatomy and the difficulties associated with neuroregeneration make full recovery from SCI uncommon. This review explores the potential of artificial intelligence (AI), with a particular focus on machine learning, to enhance patient outcomes in SCI management.

Spinal Cord Injury From Tuberculous Spondylitis Misdiagnosed as Metastatic Spinal Tumor and Bacterial Spondylitis: A Case Report & Literature Review.

Tuberculous (TB) spondylitis, also known as Pott's disease, was first described by Percivall Pott in 1779. The diagnosis of TB spondylitis is often delayed because of the non-specific nature of the infection, which can lead to severe consequences. Differential diagnosis is especially critical in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy who present with lymph node or bone metastasis.

Pain Intervention for Osteoporotic Compression Fracture, From Physical Therapy to Surgery: A Literature Review.

Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) significantly contribute to increased morbidity and mortality in aging populations. When adjusted for age, South Korea has the highest global prevalence of OVCF, with rates of 544 per 100,000 men and 1,575 per 100,000 women. Moreover, patients with OVCF are at a heightened risk of additional fractures, with the risk of new vertebral fractures being up to 5-fold higher.

Deep Learning-Based Localization and Orientation Estimation of Pedicle Screws in Spinal Fusion Surgery.

Objective: This study investigated the application of a deep learning-based object detection model for accurate localization and orientation estimation of spinal fixation surgical instruments during surgery.

Methods: We employed the You Only Look Once (YOLO) object detection framework with oriented bounding boxes (OBBs) to address the challenge of non-axis-aligned instruments in surgical scenes. The initial dataset of 100 images was created using brochure and website images from 11 manufacturers of commercially available pedicle screws used in spinal fusion surgeries, and data augmentation was used to expand 300 images.

Bone Substitute Options for Spine Fusion in Patients With Spine Trauma-Part II: The Role of rhBMP.

In Part II, we focus on an important aspect of spine fusion in patients with spine trauma: the pivotal role of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2). Despite the influx of diverse techniques facilitated by technological advancements in spinal surgery, spinal fusion surgery remains widely used globally. The persistent challenge of spinal pseudarthrosis has driven extensive efforts to achieve clinically favorable fusion outcomes, with particular emphasis on the evolution of bone graft substitutes.

Bone Substitute Options for Spine Fusion in Patients With Spine Trauma-Part I: Fusion Biology, Autografts, Allografts, Demineralized Bone Matrix, and Ceramics.

Spinal trauma accounts for a large portion of injuries to the spine area, particularly as societies are entering an era of aging populations. Consequently, spine fractures accompanied by osteoporosis are becoming more prevalent. Achieving successful fusion surgery in patients with spine fractures associated with osteoporosis is even more challenging.

The safety and efficacy of double microcatheter technique in small and tiny ruptured aneurysms: A single center study.

Objective: Double microcatheter technique (dMC) can be the alternative to Single microcatheter technique (sMC) for challenging cases, but there is lack of studies comparing dMC to sMC especifically for small ruptured aneurysms. Our objective was to compare the safety and efficacy of dMC to sMC in treating small (≤5 mm) and tiny (≤3 mm) ruptured aneurysms.

Methods: This study focused on 91 out of 280 patients who had ruptured aneurysms and underwent either single or double microcatheter coil embolization.

Proximal Junctional Kyphosis or Failure After Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery - Review of Risk Factors and Its Prevention.

Proximal junction kyphosis (PJK) is a common imaging finding after long-level fusion, and proximal junctional failure (PJF) is an aggravated form of the progressive disease spectrum of PJK. This includes vertebral fracture of upper instrumented vertebra (UIV) or UIV+1, instability between UIV and UIV+1, neurological deterioration requiring surgery. Many studies have reported on PJK and PJF after long segment instrumentation for adult spinal deformity (ASD).

Effect of Cilostazol on Delayed Cerebral Infarction in Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Using Explainable Predictive Modeling.

The studies interpreting DCI, a complication of SAH, and identifying correlations are very limited. This study aimed to investigate the effect of cilostazol on ACV and DCI after coil embolization for ruptured aneurysms (n = 432). A multivariate analysis was performed and explainable artificial intelligence approaches were used to analyze the contribution of cilostazol as a risk factor on the development of ACV and DCI with respect to global and local interpretation.

Kummell's Disease is Becoming Increasingly Important in an Aging Society: A Review.

Kummell's disease (KD) is referred to as delayed posttraumatic vertebral collapse, avascular necrosis of vertebrae, or ischemic vertebral collapse. KD is no longer rare in an aging society. It is mainly caused by minor trauma, and nonunion occurs secondary to avascular necrosis at the vertebral body fracture site, which can lead to vertebral kyphosis or intravertebral instability.

Early Decompression in Acute Spinal Cord Injury : Review and Update.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) has a significant negative effect on the quality of life due to permanent neurologic damage and economic burden by continuous treatment and rehabilitation. However, determining the correct approach to ensure optimal clinical outcomes can be challenging and remains highly controversial. In particular, with the introduction of the concept of early decompression in brain pathology, the discussion of the timing of decompression in SCI has emerged.