Risk Factor Analysis of Facet Fusion Following Cervical Lateral Mass Screw Fixation with a Minimum 1-Year Follow-up: Assessment of Maximal Insertional Screw Torque and Incidence of Loosening

Posterior stabilization is a common surgical procedure, which aims for rigid stabilization by facet fusion. Facet non-union has a potential risk of the screw loosening and malalignment. Although some authors have reported the influencing factors about screw loosening in the lumbar spine, there are few reports about the risk factor contributing to the facet non-union in the cervical spine. In all, 22 patients (78 facets and 122 screws) with degenerative cervical kyphosis or spondylolisthesis who underwent decompression and lateral mass screw (LMS) fixation were analyzed. Age, gender, smoking, bone mineral density (BMD), the degree of facet decortication with bone packing, and screw loosening were investigated as risk factors contributing to the facet non-union at each segmental fused level. Facet fusion rate was 85.9% (67/78 facets) and the incidence of loosening was 4.9% (6/122 screws, 4 patients). Insufficient facet decortication with bone packing is a significant risk factor of facet non-union (p <0.05, odds ratio: 26.5). All six loosened screws were associated with bony non-union of the facet and were located in the uppermost or lowermost vertebrae. Comparing loosened screws and stable screws, the average maximal insertional screw torque (MIT) was 9.8 cNm and 39.5 cNm, respectively (p <0.05). Additionally, the length of the stable screws was significantly longer versus the loosened screws (p <0.05). Lower MIT and shorter screw length located near the ends of the lateral mass may predict loosening, which can lead to facet non-union. Sufficient facet decortication with bone packing is one of the important factors contributing to the facet fusion.     

经椎间孔入路全内镜下腰椎椎体间融合技术研究进展

经椎间孔入路全内镜下腰椎椎体间融合术（full endoscopic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion）近年来在微创脊柱外科领域获得广泛应用,本文简要介绍该术式的发展历史、技术要点、适应证、疗效以及并发症。笔者认为经椎间孔入路全内镜下腰椎椎体间融合术具有与传统手术同样的临床效果,并且能够有效减少组织损伤和术中出血、降低术后腰背痛的发生率、缩短术后下床活动时间及平均住院日,但仍需完善远期随访,以进一步评估该术式的有效性和安全性。     

多节段前外侧入路腰椎椎间融合联合后路内固定术治疗腰椎退行性侧凸伴矢状面失衡的疗效分析

【摘要】 目的：探讨多节段前外侧入路腰椎椎间融合（oblique lumbar interbody fusion,OLIF）联合后路内固定治疗腰椎退行性侧凸伴脊柱矢状面失平衡的效果。方法：回顾性分析2017年9月～2020年4月于我院就诊并接受多节段OLIF联合后路内固定治疗的17例腰椎退行性侧凸伴脊柱矢状面失平衡患者,男3例,女14例;年龄55～81岁（67.8±6.3岁）;随访时间13～39个月（25.9±7.6个月）。在术前、术后与末次随访时的全脊柱X线片测量脊柱冠状面及矢状面相关参数,包括：腰椎侧凸Cobb角、C7铅垂线-骶骨中垂线距离（C7 plumb line-center sacral vertical line,C7PL-CSVL）、胸椎后凸角（thoracic kyphosis,TK）、胸腰段后凸角（thoracolumbar kyphosis,TLK）、腰椎前凸角（lumbar lordosis,LL）、腰椎前凸分布指数（lordosis distribution index,LDI）、脊柱矢状面垂直轴（sagittal vertical axis,SVA）、脊柱骶骨角（spino-sacral angle,SSA）、躯干整体倾斜角（global tilt,GT）、GAP评分（Global Alignment and Proportion score）、骨盆入射角（pelvic incidence,PI）、骨盆倾斜角（pelvic tilt, PT）、骶骨倾斜角（sacral slope,SS）。记录术前、术后与末次随访时的Oswestry功能障碍指数（Oswestry disability index,ODI）、日本骨科协会（Japanese Orthopaedic Association,JOA）评分、腰部和下肢疼痛视觉模拟（visual analogue scale,VAS）评分。对术前、术后和末次随访时的影像学和临床指标进行统计学分析。结果：17例患者均顺利完成手术,手术时间120～480min（327.4±85.4min）,出血量50～1100ml（504.7±275.1ml）,融合节段3～8个（3.8±1.2个）。1例患者术后左侧大腿外侧腹股沟区感觉减退,给予营养神经药物后20d症状缓解;1例患者术中发生椎体终板骨折,调整融合器置入路径避开骨折部位,同时一期附加后路椎弓根螺钉内固定,随访未发现融合器进一步沉降。术后和末次随访时的腰椎侧凸Cobb角、C7PL-CSVL、TK、TLK、LL、LDI、GT、GAP评分、PT、SS与术前比较均有显著性差异（P＜0.05）,腰椎矢状面平衡相关参数均获得改善;术后与末次随访时比较均无显著性差异（P>0.05）。术后和末次随访时的ODI、JOA评分、腰部VAS和下肢VAS评分与术前比较均有显著性改善（P＜0.05）,末次随访时进一步改善,与术后比较差异均有显著性（P＜0.05）。结论：多节段OLIF联合后路内固定术可以有效缓解腰椎退行性侧凸患者的症状,同时矫正脊柱三维畸形、重建矢状面和冠状面平衡,提高患者生活质量。     

Range of motion of foot joints following total ankle replacement and subtalar fusion

BackgroundIn severe cases of ankle and subtalar arthritis, arthrodesis of the subtalar joint is performed in combination with ankle arthroplasty. In these special cases gait analysis reveals real motion at the replaced tibiotalar joint.MethodsTwenty-three patients affected by ankle and subtalar arthritis, treated either with a 3-component or a 2-component prosthesis in combination with subtalar arthrodesis, were clinically evaluated preoperatively and at a minimum of 1-year follow-up. Gait analysis was performed postoperatively using a multi-segment foot protocol. Foot kinematics were compared to corresponding data from a healthy control group.ResultsClinical scores significantly improved from preoperative to follow-up. The clinically measured passive ankle dorsiflexion/plantarflexion significantly improved at the follow-up. Patients’ normalized walking speed and stride length were significantly lower than those in control. With exception of the ankle frontal-plane motion, sagittal-plane mobility of foot joints was about 50% than that in healthy joints.ConclusionsImprovement in clinical scores was found for both prostheses. Normal spatio-temporal parameters were not restored. In these patients, fusion of the subtalar joint appeared to be compensated by larger frontal-plane motion at the tibiotalar joint.Level of evidenceLevel III- retrospective comparative study.The study was approved by the local Ethics Committee as protocol MAT (protocol registration at clinicaltrials.gov NCT03356951).     

Vascular anatomy of the first metatarsal bone and surgical implications according to the severity of hallux valgus deformity: A cadaveric study

BackgroundVascular injury after hallux valgus surgery is a rare condition but serious complications can ensue.MethodsWe performed an anatomical study using 26 cadaveric lower extremities. We enhanced first metatarsal bone’s (FMB) vascularization by injecting latex. Each specimen was classified according to the severity of hallux valgus deformity (HVD). Then we measured two distances: one between the first tarsometatarsal joint (FTMJ) to the first dorsal branch’s origin, the other between the first metatarsophalangeal joint (MTP) to the dorsal plexus’s origin.ResultsThe distance between the FTMJ and the first dorsal branch to the FMB ranges from 10 mm in normal feet to 15 mm in severe deformed feet. The distance between the MTP and the dorsal plexus’ origin ranges from 20 mm in normal feet to 25 mm in severe deformed feet.ConclusionsUnderstanding the foot’s vascular anatomy has allowed us to adapt surgical landmarks to the severity of the HVD and to avoid post-operative complications.     

Comparison of extreme lateral approach with posterior approach in the treatment of lumbar degenerative diseases: A meta-analysis of clinical and imaging findings

ObjectiveTo compare clinical and imaging findings between extreme lateral lumbar interbody fusion (XLIF) and posterior fusion (PF) via meta-analysis for the treatment of lumbar degenerative diseases.MethodsEnglish papers reporting clinical and imaging findings for the treatment of lumbar degenerative diseases with XLIF and PF published electronically in the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases from January 2006 to August 2019 were retrieved. Two authors independently extracted data and evaluated the quality of the included literature. Meta-analysis of outcome measures was performed using Stata 14 and RevMan 5.3 software.ResultsThis meta-analysis included 744 patients from nine studies, two of which were prospective studies, while the others were retrospective studies. The quality of each study was determined to be high. The meta-analysis showed no significant differences in the operative time, length of hospital stay, clinical effectiveness, and improvement in postoperative global sagittal alignment between two approaches (P > 0.05). However, XLIF was significantly better than PF in reducing intraoperative blood loss and recovery of local sagittal alignment (P < 0.05). Moreover, the high incidence of postoperative complications were detected in XLIF group (P < 0.05).ConclusionsBoth surgical approaches have equally promising clinical effectiveness for the treatment of lumbar degenerative diseases. Although XLIF can reduce intraoperative blood loss and obtain better postoperative local sagittal alignment than PF, the high incidence of postoperative complications should prompt us to consider why XLIF procedure is still being offered to our patients and how we can reduce these complications. In addition, any conclusions should be taken with caution because of the mix of prospective and retrospective studies, and the high heterogeneity and bias.     

Complement inhibition for prevention of antibody-mediated rejection in immunologically high-risk heart allograft recipients

Allosensitization represents a major barrier to heart transplantation (HTx). We assessed the efficacy and safety of complement inhibition at transplant in highly sensitized heart transplant recipients. We performed a single-center, single-arm, open-label trial (NCT02013037). Patients with panel reactive antibodies (PRA) ≥70% and pre–formed donor-specific antibodies (DSA) were eligible. In addition to standard of care, patients received nine infusions of eculizumab during the first 2 months posttransplant. The primary composite endpoint was antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) ≥pAMR2 and/or left ventricular dysfunction during the first year. Secondary endpoints included hemodynamic compromise, allograft rejection, and patient survival. Twenty patients were included. Median cPRA and mean fluorescence intensity of immunodominant DSA were 95% (90%–97%) and 6250 (5000–10 000), respectively. Retrospective B cell and T cell flow crossmatches were positive in 14 and 11 patients, respectively. The primary endpoint occurred in four patients (20%). Survival at 1 year was 90% with no deaths resulting from AMR. In a prespecified analysis comparing treated patients to matched control patients, we observed a dramatic reduction in the risk of biopsy-proven AMR in patients treated with eculizumab (HR = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.14–0.95, p = .032). Our findings support the prophylactic use of complement inhibition for heart transplantation at high immunological risk. ClinincalTrials.gov, NCT02013037.     

Association of antiviral prophylaxis and rituximab use with posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLDs): A nationwide cohort study

Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a serious complication of solid organ transplantation (SOT). Most PTLD cases are associated with Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection. The role of antiviral prophylaxis or rituximab therapy for prevention of PTLD in SOT recipients is controversial. In a nationwide cohort, we assessed the incidence, presentation, and outcome of histologically proven PTLD. We included 4765 patients with a follow-up duration of 23 807 person-years (py). Fifty-seven PTLD cases were identified; 39 (68%) were EBV positive (EBV+ PTLD). Incidence rates for EBV+ PTLD at 1, 2, and 3 years posttransplant were 3.51, 2.24, and 1.75/1000 py and 0.44, 0.25, and 0.29/1000 py for EBV− PTLD. We did not find an effect of antiviral prophylaxis on early and late EBV+ PTLD occurrence (early EBV+ PTLD: SHR 0.535 [95% CI 0.199–1.436], p = .264; late EBV+ PTLD: SHR 2.213, [95% CI 0.751–6.521], p = .150). However, none of the patients (0/191) who received a rituximab-containing induction treatment experienced PTLD, but 57 of 4574 patients without rituximab induction developed PTLD. In an adjusted restricted mean survival time model, PTLD-free survival was significantly longer (0.104 years [95% CI 0.077–0.131]) in patients receiving rituximab as induction treatment. This study provides novel data on the association of rituximab induction and reduced risk for PTLD.