Multirod Constructs in Spine Surgery.

➢ The use of multirod constructs (≥3 rods) in complex spine surgery has increased as its utility has been recognized over the past decade.➢ There are multiple different rod configurations that may be utilized on the basis of the desired supplemental rod function, with each type having its own advantages and clinical indications.➢ Literature has continued to demonstrate a reduced incidence of pseudarthrosis, rod fracture, and reoperation when comparing multirod constructs with traditional dual-rod constructs.

Implant Migration After Anterior Cervical Spine Surgery: A Systematic Literature Review.

Study Design: Systematic literature review.

Objective: To summarize the demographics, diagnosis, clinical course, management, and outcomes for implant migration after anterior cervical spine surgery.

Summary Of Background Data: Implant migration following anterior cervical spine surgery is a rare event that may predispose patients to high morbidity due to the proximity of cervical implants to critical structures.

Delayed Post-Operative C5 Palsy After Reduction of Unilateral Cervical Facet Dislocation: A Case Report.

A 60-year-old female sustained a left unilateral C3-4 facet dislocation and underwent urgent open reduction and posterior instrumentation. The patient subsequently developed delayed onset right upper extremity weakness affecting the C5 myotome, prompting a diagnosis of post-operative right C5 palsy (C5P). With conservative management, the patient had a complete neurologic recovery in eight months.

Degenerative cervical myelopathy in HIV: Rates of postoperative complications and revision following decompression surgery.

Background: HIV has been associated with cervical myelopathy, but it is unclear if HIV leads to earlier presentation of DCM and need for decompression surgery. Furthermore, long-term rates of postoperative complications and revision following decompression surgery have not been investigated in this patient population. The aim of this study was to identify the age of surgery for degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and investigate postoperative revision and complication rates.

Concomitant Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis and Cervical Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament: A U.S. Database Study of Clinical Prevalence, Surgical Intervention, Patient Characteristics, and Postoperative Complications.

Background: Concomitant diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) and cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (cOPLL) are primarily investigated in radiographic studies of East Asian populations. This study aimed to determine clinical prevalence of concomitant DISH/cOPLL in a large U.S.

Extracranial Vertebral Artery Injuries.

Paired vertebral arteries (VAs) travel from the subclavian artery through the cervical spine and into the intracranial space where they contribute to posterior cerebral circulation. Blunt and penetrating injuries to the cervical spine risk injury to the VA. Among the most feared complications of vertebral artery injury (VAI) is posterior circulation stroke.

Civilian Ballistic Injuries to the Atlantoaxial Spine: A Single Institution Case Series.

Study Design: Retrospective case series.

Objective: Describe the injury characteristics of ballistic fractures involving the atlantoaxial spine.

Summary Of Background Data: Civilian gunshot wounds to the spine are an increasingly common injury in the United States.

Duration and Magnitude of Opioid Use After Minimally Invasive Sacroiliac Joint Fusion.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study performed in a nationwide insurance claims database.

Objective: To evaluate the duration and magnitude of post-operative opioid prescriptions after minimally invasive surgical sacroiliac joint fusion (MIS SIJF) as compared to other common spine surgeries.

Summary Of Background Data: MIS SIJF has been reported to significantly improve quality of life and reduce pain.

A predictive model of motor deficit in civilian ballistic lumbosacral spine injuries.

Background Context: Civilian gunshot wounds to the spine are an increasingly common injury in the USA. A majority of the available research is focused on a military population suffering high energy missile injury. Minimal research has focused on civilian ballistic injuries to the lumbosacral spine as the available studies focus on the entire spine due to limited numbers.

Firearm-Related Injuries-Wound Management, Stabilization, and Associated Injuries: A Critical Analysis Review.

»: Gun violence-related and firearm-related injuries are a public health crisis with increasing rates, particularly among younger demographics, in the United States despite a decline in incidence worldwide.

»: There exists limited high-quality evidence to guide the management of firearm-related orthopaedic injuries.

»: Associated injuries (i.

Rates of Future Lumbar Fusion in Patients with Cauda Equina Syndrome Treated With Decompression.

Introduction: The long-term risk of conversion to lumbar fusion is ill-defined for patients with cauda equina syndrome (CES) treated with decompression. This study aimed to identify the rates of fusion in patients with CES and compare those rates with a matched lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) group.

Methods: Patients with CES who underwent decompression were identified in a national database and matched to control patients with LSS.

Does lumbar spine fusion predispose patients to future total hip replacement?

Objective: Hip-spine syndrome has been well studied since it was first described by Offierski and MacNab in 1983. Today, strong evidence links symptoms of hip and spine pathology to postsurgical outcomes. Recent studies have reported increased rates of hip dislocation in patients previously treated with total hip arthroplasty (THA) who had undergone lumbar fusion procedures.

Migration of an Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Screw into the Constrictor Muscle of the Hypopharynx: A Case Report.

Case: A 53-year-old man developed dysphagia 4 years after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), and radiographs revealed a dislodged screw anterior to the ACDF plate. Intraoperatively, the screw was found to be completely embedded within the pharyngeal constrictor muscle fibers and was removed with assistance from otolaryngology without injury to the pharyngeal mucosa.

Conclusion: Implant migration after ACDF can variably damage tracheoesophageal and retropharyngeal structures, and a multidisciplinary approach involving otolaryngology or thoracic surgery may be required to diagnose and treat these complications.

Development of a simplified and inexpensive RNA depletion method for plasmid DNA purification using size selection magnetic beads (SSMBs).

Plasmid DNA (pDNA) isolation from bacterial cells is one of the most common and critical steps in molecular cloning and biomedical research. Almost all pDNA purification involves disruption of bacteria, removal of membrane lipids, proteins and genomic DNA, purification of pDNA from bulk lysate, and concentration of pDNA for downstream applications. While many liquid-phase and solid-phase pDNA purification methods are used, the final pDNA preparations are usually contaminated with varied degrees of host RNA, which cannot be completely digested by RNase A.

Applications of Biocompatible Scaffold Materials in Stem Cell-Based Cartilage Tissue Engineering.

Cartilage, especially articular cartilage, is a unique connective tissue consisting of chondrocytes and cartilage matrix that covers the surface of joints. It plays a critical role in maintaining joint durability and mobility by providing nearly frictionless articulation for mechanical load transmission between joints. Damage to the articular cartilage frequently results from sport-related injuries, systemic diseases, degeneration, trauma, or tumors.

BMP9-initiated osteogenic/odontogenic differentiation of mouse tooth germ mesenchymal cells (TGMCS) requires Wnt/β-catenin signalling activity.

Teeth arise from the tooth germ through sequential and reciprocal interactions between immature epithelium and mesenchyme during development. However, the detailed mechanism underlying tooth development from tooth germ mesenchymal cells (TGMCs) remains to be fully understood. Here, we investigate the role of Wnt/β-catenin signalling in BMP9-induced osteogenic/odontogenic differentiation of TGMCs.

Notch signaling: Its essential roles in bone and craniofacial development.

Notch is a cell-cell signaling pathway that is involved in a host of activities including development, oncogenesis, skeletal homeostasis, and much more. More specifically, recent research has demonstrated the importance of Notch signaling in osteogenic differentiation, bone healing, and in the development of the skeleton. The craniofacial skeleton is complex and understanding its development has remained an important focus in biology.

Long-term rates of bladder dysfunction after decompression in patients with cauda equina syndrome.

Background Context: Cauda equina syndrome (CES) occurs due to compression of the lumbar and sacral nerve roots and is considered a surgical emergency. Although the condition is relatively rare, the associated morbidity can be devastating to patients. While substantial research has been conducted on the timing of treatment, the literature regarding long-term rates of bladder dysfunction in CES patients is scarce.

Stem Cell-Friendly Scaffold Biomaterials: Applications for Bone Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine.

Bone is a dynamic organ with high regenerative potential and provides essential biological functions in the body, such as providing body mobility and protection of internal organs, regulating hematopoietic cell homeostasis, and serving as important mineral reservoir. Bone defects, which can be caused by trauma, cancer and bone disorders, pose formidable public health burdens. Even though autologous bone grafts, allografts, or xenografts have been used clinically, repairing large bone defects remains as a significant clinical challenge.

FAMSi: A Synthetic Biology Approach to the Fast Assembly of Multiplex siRNAs for Silencing Gene Expression in Mammalian Cells.

RNA interference (RNAi) is mediated by an ∼21-nt double-stranded small interfering RNA (siRNA) and shows great promise in delineating gene functions and in developing therapeutics for human diseases. However, effective gene silencing usually requires the delivery of multiple siRNAs for a given gene, which is often technically challenging and time-consuming. In this study, by exploiting the type IIS restriction endonuclease-based synthetic biology methodology, we developed the fast assembly of multiplex siRNAs (FAMSi) system.

SATB2: A versatile transcriptional regulator of craniofacial and skeleton development, neurogenesis and tumorigenesis, and its applications in regenerative medicine.

SATB2 (special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 2) is a member of the special AT-rich binding protein family. As a transcription regulator, SATB2 mainly integrates higher-order chromatin organization. SATB2 expression appears to be tissue- and stage-specific, and is governed by several cellular signaling molecules and mediators.

Comprehensive classification system for multirod constructs across three-column osteotomies: a reliability study.

Objective: In this study, the authors' goal was to determine the intra- and interobserver reliability of a new classification system that allows the description of all possible constructs used across three-column osteotomies (3COs) in terms of rod configuration and density.

Methods: Thirty-five patients with multirod constructs (MRCs) across a 3CO were classified by two spinal surgery fellows according to the new system, and then were reclassified 2 weeks later. Constructs were classified as follows: the number of rods across the osteotomy site followed by a letter corresponding to the type of rod configuration: "M" is for a main rod configuration, defined as a single rod spanning the osteotomy.

The Influence of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors on Lumbar Arthrodesis.

Study Design: Retrospective analysis using the PearlDiver national insurance claims database.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between chronic preoperative selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) prescriptions and nonunion following spine fusion surgery.

Summary Of Background Data: Contemporary literature has linked SSRIs to decreased bone mineral density and increased rates of future bone fracture.

Rod fractures and nonunions after long fusion to the sacrum for primary presentation adult spinal deformity: a comparison with and without interbody fusion in the distal lumbar spine.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence and incidence rate of rod fractures (RF) in patients undergoing surgery for correction of adult spinal deformity (ASD) with or without the use of interbody fusions in the caudal levels of the fusion construct.

Background: Data: Pseudarthrosis and rod fracture after long spinal fusion to the sacrum for correction of ASD remain a concern.

Preoperative patient expectations and pain improvement after adult spinal deformity surgery.

Objective: Patients' expectations for pain relief are associated with patient-reported outcomes after treatment, although this has not been examined in patients with adult spinal deformity (ASD). The aim of this study was to identify associations between patients' preoperative expectations for pain relief after ASD surgery and patient-reported pain at the 2-year follow-up.

Methods: The authors analyzed surgically treated ASD patients at a single institution who completed a survey question about expectations for back pain relief.