Surgical versus conservative treatment for odontoid fractures in older people: an international prospective comparative study.

BACKGROUND: The optimal treatment for odontoid fractures in older people remains debated. Odontoid fractures are increasingly relevant to clinical practice due to ageing of the population. METHODS: An international prospective comparative study was conducted in fifteen European centres, involving patients aged ≥55 years with type II/III odontoid fractures. The surgeon and patient jointly decided on the applied treatment. Surgical and conservative treatments were compared. Primary outcomes were Neck Disability Index (NDI) improvement, fracture union and stability at 52 weeks. Secondary outcomes were Visual Analogue Scale neck pain, Likert patient-perceived recovery and EuroQol-5D-3L at 52 weeks. Subgroup analyses considered age, type II and displaced fractures. Multivariable regression analyses adjusted for age, gender and fracture characteristics. RESULTS: The study included 276 patients, of which 144 (52%) were treated surgically and 132 (48%) conservatively (mean (SD) age 77.3 (9.1) vs. 76.6 (9.7), P = 0.56). NDI improvement was largely similar between surgical and conservative treatments (mean (SE) -11 (2.4) vs. -14 (1.8), P = 0.08), as were union (86% vs. 78%, aOR 2.3, 95% CI 0.97-5.7) and stability (99% vs. 98%, aOR NA). NDI improvement did not differ between patients with union and persistent non-union (mean (SE) -13 (2.0) vs. -12 (2.8), P = 0.78). There was no difference for any of the secondary outcomes or subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical outcome and fracture healing at 52 weeks were similar between treatments. Clinical outcome and fracture union were not associated. Treatments should prioritize favourable clinical over radiological outcomes.

Association between clinical findings and the presence of lumbar spine osteoarthritis imaging features: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: Spinal osteoarthritis is difficult to study and diagnose, partly due to the lack of agreed diagnostic criteria. This systematic review aims to give an overview of the associations between clinical and imaging findings suggestive of spinal osteoarthritis in patients with low back pain to make a step towards agreed diagnostic criteria. DESIGN: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and CINAHL from inception to April 29, 2021 to identify observational studies in adults that assessed the association between selected clinical and imaging findings suggestive of spinal osteoarthritis. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale and the quality of evidence was graded using an adaptation of the GRADE approach. RESULTS: After screening 7902 studies, 30 met the inclusion criteria. High-quality evidence was found for the longitudinal association between low back pain (LBP) intensity, and both disc space narrowing and osteophytes, as well as for the association between LBP-related physical functioning and lumbar disc degeneration, the presence of spinal morning stiffness and disc space narrowing and for the lack of association between physical functioning and Schmorl's nodes. CONCLUSIONS: There is high- and moderate-quality evidence of associations between clinical and imaging findings suggestive of spinal osteoarthritis. However, the majority of the studied outcomes had low or very low-quality of evidence. Furthermore, clinical and methodological heterogeneity was a serious limitation, adding to the need and importance of agreed criteria for spinal osteoarthritis, which should be the scope of future research.

The optimal treatment of type II and III odontoid fractures in the elderly: an updated meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Odontoid fractures are the most common cervical spine fractures in the elderly, with a controversial optimal treatment. The objective of this review was to compare the outcome of surgical and conservative treatments in elderly (≥ 65 years), by updating a systematic review published by the authors in 2013. METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted in seven databases. Clinical outcome was the primary outcome. Fracture union- and stability were secondary outcomes. Pooled point estimates and their respective 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were derived using the random-effects model. A random-effects multivariable meta-regression model was used to correct for baseline co-variates when sufficiently reported. RESULTS: Forty-one studies met the inclusion criteria, of which forty were case series and one a cohort study. No clinical differences in outcomes including the Neck Disability Index (NDI, 700 patients), Visual Analogue Scale pain (VAS, 180 patients), and Smiley-Webster Scale (SWS, 231 patients) scores were identified between surgical and conservative treatments. However, fracture union was higher in surgically treated patients (pooled incidence 72.7%, 95% CI 66.1%, 78.5%, 31 studies, 988 patients) than in conservatively treated patients (40.2%, 95% CI 32.0%, 49.0%, 22 studies, 912 patients). This difference remained after correcting for age and fracture type. Fracture stability (41 studies, 1917 patients), although numerically favoring surgery, did not appear to differ between treatment groups. CONCLUSION: While surgically treated patients showed higher union rates than conservatively treated patients, no clinically relevant differences were observed in NDI, VAS pain, and SWS scores and stability rates. These results need to be further confirmed in well-designed comparative studies with proper adjustment for confounding, such as age, fracture characteristics, and osteoporosis degree.

Thromboembolic prophylaxis in neurosurgical practice: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: In neurosurgical patients, the risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE) is high due to the relatively long duration of surgical interventions, usually long immobilization time after surgery, and possible neurological deficits which can negatively influence mobility. In neurosurgical clinical practice, there is lack of consensus on optimal prophylaxis against VTE, mechanical or pharmacological. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review available literature on the incidence of VTE in neurosurgical interventions and to establish an optimum prevention strategy. METHODS: A literature search was performed in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and EmCare, based on a sensitive search string combination. Studies were selected by predefined selection criteria, and risk of bias was assessed by Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale and Cochrane risk of bias. RESULTS: Twenty-five studies were included, half of which had low risk of bias (21 case series, 3 comparative studies, 1 RCT). VTE was substantially higher if the evaluation was done by duplex ultrasound (DUS), or another systematic screening method, in comparison to clinical evaluation (clin). Without prophylaxis DVT, incidence varied from 4 (clin) to 10% (DUS), studies providing low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) reported an incidence of 2 (clin) to 31% (DUS), providing LMWH and compression stockings (CS) reported an incidence of 6.4% (clin) to 29.8% (DUS), and providing LMWH and intermittent pneumatic compression devices (IPC) reported an incidence of 3 (clin) to 22.3% (DUS). Due to a lack of data, VTE incidence could not meaningfully be compared between patients with intracranial and spine surgery. The reported incidence of pulmonary embolism (PE) was 0 to 7.9%. CONCLUSION: Low molecular weight heparin, compression stockings, and intermittent pneumatic compression devices were all evaluated to give reduction in VTE, but data were too widely varying to establish an optimum prevention strategy. Systematic screening for DVT reveals much higher incidence percentages in comparison to screening solely on clinical grounds and is recommended in follow-up of neurosurgical procedures with an increased risk for DVT development in order to prevent occurrence of PE.

Symptomatic lumbar stenosis due to low-grade degenerative spondylolisthesis can effectively be treated with mere decompression.

PURPOSE: Adding instrumented spondylodesis to decompression in symptomatic spinal stenosis with degenerative spondylolisthesis is subject of debate. The presence of spondylolisthesis due to degeneration is an indicator of severe facet joint and intervertebral disc degeneration, and this may fit increased instability of the spine. We aim to establish the incidence of degenerative spondylolisthesis in spinal stenosis surgical candidates and to evaluate the incidence of failure of decompressive surgery without concomitant spondylodesis as initial treatment. METHODS: Medical files of all operated patients for spinal stenosis between 2007 and 2013 were evaluated. Demographic characteristics, pre-operative radiological characteristics (level of stenosis, presence, and grade of spondylolisthesis), surgical technique, incidence, and indication for reoperation were summarised, as well as the type of reoperation. Patient satisfaction was classified as 'satisfied' or 'unsatisfied' after initial and secondary surgery. The follow-up was 6 to 12 years. RESULTS: Nine hundred thirty-four patients were included, and 253 (27%) had a spondylolisthesis. Seventeen percent of the spondylolisthesis patients receiving decompression were reoperated versus 12% of the stenosis patients (p=.059). Reoperation in the spondylolisthesis group concerned instrumented spondylodesis in 38 versus 10% in the stenosis group. The satisfaction percentage was comparable in the stenosis and the spondylolisthesis group two months after surgery (80 vs. 74%). Of the 253 spondylolisthesis patients, 1% initially received instrumented spondylodesis and 6% in a second operation. CONCLUSION: Lumbar stenosis with and without (low-grade) degenerative spondylolisthesis can usually effectively be treated with mere decompression. Instrumented surgery in a second surgical procedure does not lead to less satisfaction with surgical outcomes.

The impact of mental health on outcome after anterior cervical discectomy: cohort study assessing the influence of mental health using predictive modelling.

BACKGROUND: Depression and anxiety are common mental disorders among patients with chronic pain. It is hypothesised that patients suffering from these disorders benefit less from cervical spine surgery than mentally healthy patients. Therefore, this study aimed to quantify the effect of mental health status on functional outcome after anterior cervical discectomy in a post hoc analysis on RCT data. METHODS: One hundred eight patients from the NECK trial, with radiculopathy due to a one-level herniated disc, underwent anterior cervical discectomy and were included into this analysis. Functional outcome was quantified using the Neck Disability Index (NDI), and mental health status was measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Score (HADS) questionnaire. NDI differences were assessed using generalised estimated equations (GEE), crude means, a predictive linear mixed model (LMM) using baseline scores and over time with an explanatory LMM. RESULTS: At baseline, 24% and 32% of patients were respectively depressed and anxious and had statistically significant and clinically relevant higher NDI scores during follow-up. However, in those patients in which the HADS returned to normal during follow-up, NDI values decreased comparably to the non-depression or non-anxiety cases. Those patients that demonstrated persisting high HADS values had convincingly worse NDI scores. A predictive LMM showed that combining baseline NDI and HADS scores was highly predictive of NDI during follow-up. The R shiny application enabled the effective, visual communication of results from the predictive LMM. CONCLUSION: This study shows that mental health status and disability are strongly associated and provides insight into the size of the effect, as well as a way to use this relation to improve preoperative patient counselling. These findings give rise to the suggestion that incorporating mental health screening in the preoperative assessment of patients could help to adequately manage patients' expectations for functional recovery. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Dutch Trial Register Number: NTR1289.

Deep Learning for Adjacent Segment Disease at Preoperative MRI for Cervical Radiculopathy.

Background Patients who undergo surgery for cervical radiculopathy are at risk for developing adjacent segment disease (ASD). Identifying patients who will develop ASD remains challenging for clinicians. Purpose To develop and validate a deep learning algorithm capable of predicting ASD by using only preoperative cervical MRI in patients undergoing single-level anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion (ACDF). Materials and Methods In this Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant study, retrospective chart review was performed for 1244 patients undergoing single-level ACDF in two tertiary care centers. After application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 344 patients were included, of whom 60% (n = 208) were used for training and 40% for validation (n = 43) and testing (n = 93). A deep learning-based prediction model with 48 convolutional layers was designed and trained by using preoperative T2-sagittal cervical MRI. To validate model performance, a neuroradiologist and neurosurgeon independently provided ASD predictions for the test set. Validation metrics included accuracy, areas under the curve, and F1 scores. The difference in proportion of wrongful predictions between the model and clinician was statistically tested by using the McNemar test. Results A total of 344 patients (median age, 48 years; interquartile range, 41-58 years; 182 women) were evaluated. The model predicted ASD on the 93 test images with an accuracy of 88 of 93 (95%; 95% CI: 90, 99), sensitivity of 12 of 15 (80%; 95% CI: 60, 100), and specificity of 76 of 78 (97%; 95% CI: 94, 100). The neuroradiologist and neurosurgeon provided predictions with lower accuracy (54 of 93; 58%; 95% CI: 48, 68), sensitivity (nine of 15; 60%; 95% CI: 35, 85), and specificity (45 of 78; 58%; 95% CI: 56, 77) compared with the algorithm. The McNemar test on the contingency table demonstrated that the proportion of wrongful predictions was significantly lower by the model (test statistic, 2.000; P < .001). Conclusion A deep learning algorithm that used only preoperative cervical T2-weighted MRI outperformed clinical experts at predicting adjacent segment disease in patients undergoing surgery for cervical radiculopathy. © RSNA, 2021 An earlier incorrect version appeared online. This article was corrected on September 22, 2021.

Study protocol: effect of infection, Modic and inflammation on clinical outcomes in surgery for radiculopathy (EIMICOR).

BACKGROUND: Evidence indicates that inflammatory processes are involved in radicular pain as well as in resorption of herniated disc tissue. Furthermore there are indications that the presence of vertebral end plate pathology (Modic changes; MC) is associated with a negative effect on inflammation. It is hypothesized that in patients with MC, the (possibly bacterial induced) inflammation will be accompanied by pro inflammatory cytokines that worsen the outcome, and that in patients without MC, the inflammation is accompanied by cytokines that induce a resorption process to accelerate recovery. METHODS: This prospective cohort study will include 160 lumbar and 160 cervical patients (total of 320), which are scheduled for surgery for either a lumbar or cervical herniated disc with ages between 18 and 75. The main and interaction effects of local bacterial infection (culture), inflammatory cells in disc material (immunohistology), MC (MRI), and blood biomarkers indicating inflammation or infection (blood sample evaluation) will be evaluated. Clinical parameters to be evaluated are leg pain on the 11 point NRS pain scale, Oswestry (lumbar spine) or Neck (cervical spine) Disability Index, Global Perceived Recovery, Womac Questionnaire, and medication status, at baseline, and after 6, 16, 26 and 52 weeks. DISCUSSION: Gaining insight in the aetiology of pain and discomfort in radiculopathy caused by a herniated disc could lead to more effective management of patients. If the type of inflammatory cells shows to be of major influence on the rate of recovery, new immunomodulating treatment strategies can be developed to decrease the duration and intensity of symptoms. Moreover, identifying a beneficial inflammatory response in the disc through a biomarker in blood could lead to early identification of patients whose herniations will resorb spontaneously versus those that require surgery. TRIAL REGISTRATION: prospectively enrolled at trialregister.nl, ID: NL8464 .

Cervical radiculopathy: is a prosthesis preferred over fusion surgery? A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Meta-analyses on the comparison between fusion and prosthesis in the treatment of cervical radiculopathy mainly analyse studies including mixed patient populations: patients with radiculopathy with and without myelopathy. The outcome for patients with myelopathy is different compared to those without. Furthermore, apart from decompression of the spinal cord, restriction of motion is one of the cornerstones of the surgical treatment of spondylotic myelopathy. From this point of view, the results for arthroplasty might be suboptimal for this category of patients. Comparing clinical outcome in patients exclusively suffering from radiculopathy is therefore a more valid method to compare the true clinical effect of the prosthesis to that of fusion surgery. AIM: The objective of this study was to compare clinical outcome of cervical arthroplasty (ACDA) to the clinical outcome of fusion (ACDF) after anterior cervical discectomy in patients exclusively suffering from radiculopathy, and to evaluate differences with mixed patient populations. METHODS: A literature search was completed in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, COCHRANE, CENTRAL and CINAHL using a sensitive search strategy. Studies were selected by predefined selection criteria (i.a.) patients exclusively suffering from cervical radiculopathy), and risk of bias was assessed using a validated Cochrane Checklist adjusted for this purpose. An additional overview of results was added from articles considering a mix of patients suffering from myelopathy with or without radiculopathy. RESULTS: Eight studies were included that exclusively compared intervertebral devices in radiculopathy patients. Additionally, 29 articles concerning patients with myelopathy with or without radiculopathy were studied in a separate results table. All articles showed intermediate to high risk of bias. There was neither a difference in decrease in mean NDI score between the prosthesis (20.6 points) and the fusion (20.3 points) group, nor was there a clinically important difference in neck pain (VAS). Comparing these data to the mixed population data demonstrated comparable mean values, except for the 2-year follow-up NDI values in the prosthesis group: mixed group patients that received a prosthesis reported a mean NDI score of 15.6, indicating better clinical outcome than the radiculopathy patients that received a prosthesis though not reaching clinical importance. CONCLUSIONS: ACDF and ACDA are comparably effective in treating cervical radiculopathy due to a herniated disc in radiculopathy patients. Comparing the 8 radiculopathy with the 29 mixed population studies demonstrated that no clinically relevant differences were present in clinical outcome between the two types of patients. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.

The association of cervical sagittal alignment with adjacent segment degeneration.

PURPOSE: Cervical spine surgery may affect sagittal alignment parameters and induce accelerated degeneration of the cervical spine. Cervical sagittal alignment parameters of surgical patients will be correlated with radiological adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) and with clinical outcome parameters. METHODS: Patients were analysed from two randomized, double-blinded trials comparing anterior cervical discectomy with arthroplasty (ACDA), with intervertebral cage (ACDF) and without intervertebral cage (ACD). C2-C7 lordosis, T1 slope, C2-C7 sagittal vertical axis (SVA) and the occipito-cervical angle (OCI) were determined as cervical sagittal alignment parameters. Radiological ASD was scored by the combination of decrease in disc height and anterior osteophyte formation. Neck disability index (NDI), SF-36 PCS and MCS were evaluated as clinical outcomes. RESULTS: The cervical sagittal alignment parameters were comparable between the three treatment groups, both at baseline and at 2-year follow-up. Irrespective of surgical method, C2-C7 lordosis was found to increase from 11° to 13°, but the other parameters remained stable during follow-up. Only the OCI was demonstrated to be associated with the presence and positive progression of radiological ASD, both at baseline and at 2-year follow-up. NDI, SF-36 PCS and MCS were demonstrated not to be correlated with cervical sagittal alignment. Likewise, a correlation with the value or change of the OCI was absent. CONCLUSION: OCI, an important factor to maintain horizontal gaze, was demonstrated to be associated with radiological ASD, suggesting that the occipito-cervical angle influences accelerated cervical degeneration. Since OCI did not change after surgery, degeneration of the cervical spine may be predicted by the value of OCI. NECK TRIAL: Dutch Trial Register Number NTR1289. PROCON TRIAL: Trial Register Number ISRCTN41681847. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.

Correction to: Disc inflammation and Modic changes show an interaction effect on recovery after surgery for lumbar disc herniation.

In Tables 3 and 4: In the first column and row, the text reads "Mixed model test (patients with Modic changes)". This should have been just "Mixed model". The complete correct Tables 3 and 4 are given below.

Surgery for extraforaminal lumbar disc herniation: a single center comparative observational study.

BACKGROUND: Surgery on extraforaminal lumbar disc herniation (ELDH) is a commonly performed procedure. Operating on this type of herniation is known to come with more difficulties than on the frequently seen paramedian lumbar disc herniation (PLDH). However, no comparative data are available on the effectiveness and safety of this operation. We sought out to compare clinical outcomes at 1 year following surgery for ELDH and PLDH. METHODS: Data were collected through the Norwegian Registry for Spine Surgery (NORspine). The primary outcome measure was change at 1 year in the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Secondary outcome measures were quality of life measured with EuroQol 5 dimensions (EQ-5D); and numeric rating scales (NRSs). RESULTS: Data of a total of 1750 patients were evaluated in this study, including 72 ELDH patients (4.1%). One year after surgery, there were no differences in any of the patient reported outcome measurements (PROMs) between the two groups. PLDH and ELDH patients experienced similar changes in ODI (- 30.92 vs. - 34.00, P = 0.325); EQ-5D (0.50 vs. 0.51, P = 0.859); NRS back (- 3.69 vs. - 3.83, P = 0.745); and NRS leg (- 4.69 vs. - 4.46, P = 0.607) after 1 year. The proportion of patients achieving a clinical success (defined as an ODI score of less than 20 points) at 1 year was similar in both groups (61.5% vs. 52.7%, P = 0.204). CONCLUSIONS: Patients operated for ELDH reported similar improvement after 1 year compared with patients operated for PLDH.

Disc inflammation and Modic changes show an interaction effect on recovery after surgery for lumbar disc herniation.

PURPOSE: To study the interaction between Modic changes (MC) and inflammation by macrophages in the disc, in relation to clinical symptoms before and after discectomy for lumbar disc herniation. METHODS: Disc tissue was embedded in paraffin and stained with haematoxylin and CD68. Subsequently, tissue samples were categorized for degree of inflammation. Type of MC was scored on MRI at baseline. Roland Disability Questionnaire (RDQ) score and visual analogue scale for back pain and leg pain separately were considered at baseline and 1-year follow-up post-surgery. Main and interaction effects of MC and inflammation were tested against clinical outcome questionnaires. In addition, this analysis was repeated in bulging and extruded discs separately. RESULTS: Disc material and MRI's of 119 patients were retrieved and analysed. Forty-eight patients demonstrated mild inflammation, 45 showed moderate inflammation, and 26 showed considerable inflammation. In total, 49 out of 119 patients demonstrated MC. Grade of disc inflammation did not associate with the presence of MC. At baseline, no main or interaction effects of MC and inflammation were found on the clinical scores. However, during follow-up after discectomy, significant interaction effects were found for RDQ score: Only in patients with MC at baseline, patients remained significantly more disabled (3.2 points p = 0.006) if they showed considerable disc inflammation compared to patients with mild inflammation. The additional analysis showed similar results in extruded discs, but no significant effects in bulging discs. CONCLUSIONS: An interaction effect of MC and disc inflammation by macrophages is present. Only in patients with MC, those with considerable inflammation recover less satisfactory during follow-up after surgery. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.

Incidence and clinical relevance of cage subsidence in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The placement of intervertebral cages in anterior cervical discectomy (ACDF) supposedly maintains foraminal height. The most commonly reported cage-related complication is subsidence, although it is unknown whether a correlation between subsidence and clinical outcome exists. AIM: To assess the incidence and relevance of subsidence. METHODS: Literature searches were performed in PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, COCHRANE, and CENTRAL. The inclusion criteria were as follows: ≥ 20 patients, ADCF with cage, subsidence assessed, and primary data. Risk of bias was assessed using adjusted Cochrane checklists. RESULTS: Seventy-one studies, comprising 4784 patients, were included. Subsidence was generally defined as ≥ 3-mm loss of height comparing postoperative intervertebral heights with heights at last follow-up. Mean incidence of subsidence was 21% (range 0-83%). Of all patients, 46% of patients received polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) cages, 31% received titanium cages, 18% received cage-screw-combinations, and 5% received polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) cages. Patients treated with cage-screw-combinations had significantly less subsidence than patients treated with PEEK, titanium, or PMMA cages (15.1% vs. 23.5% vs. 24.9% vs. 30.2%; p < 0.001). Thirteen studies assessed clinical outcome in relation to subsidence; the majority did not find a significant correlation. Only four studies correlated subsidence to cage size and/or height; no correlation was established. CONCLUSIONS: Subsidence in ACDF with cages occurs in 21% of patients. The risk for subsidence seems lower using PEEK or titanium cages or adding screws. Whether subsidence affects clinical outcome is not satisfactorily evaluated in the available literature. Future studies on this correlation are warranted in order to establish the additional value of the interposition of a cage in ACDF.

Magnetic resonance imaging in follow-up assessment of sciatica.

BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is frequently performed during follow-up in patients with known lumbar-disk herniation and persistent symptoms of sciatica. The association between findings on MRI and clinical outcome is controversial. METHODS: We studied 283 patients in a randomized trial comparing surgery and prolonged conservative care for sciatica and lumbar-disk herniation. Patients underwent MRI at baseline and after 1 year. We used a 4-point scale to assess disk herniation on MRI, ranging from 1 for "definitely present" to 4 for "definitely absent." A favorable clinical outcome was defined as complete or nearly complete disappearance of symptoms at 1 year. We compared proportions of patients with a favorable outcome among those with a definite absence of disk herniation and those with a definite, probable, or possible presence of disk herniation at 1 year. The area under the receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curve was used to assess the prognostic accuracy of the 4-point scores regarding a favorable or unfavorable outcome, with 1 indicating perfect discriminatory value and 0.5 or less indicating no discriminatory value. RESULTS: At 1 year, 84% of the patients reported having a favorable outcome. Disk herniation was visible in 35% with a favorable outcome and in 33% with an unfavorable outcome (P=0.70). A favorable outcome was reported in 85% of patients with disk herniation and 83% without disk herniation (P=0.70). MRI assessment of disk herniation did not distinguish between patients with a favorable outcome and those with an unfavorable outcome (area under ROC curve, 0.48). CONCLUSIONS: MRI performed at 1-year follow-up in patients who had been treated for sciatica and lumbar-disk herniation did not distinguish between those with a favorable outcome and those with an unfavorable outcome. (Funded by the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development and the Hoelen Foundation; Controlled Clinical Trials number, ISRCTN26872154.).

Long-term follow-up of clinical and radiological outcome after cervical laminectomy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate long-term clinical and radiological results of cervical laminectomy without adjuvant-instrumented fusion for degenerative spinal cord compression. METHODS: A retrospective follow-up study of patients in which clinical data (n = 207), questionnaires (n = 96) and fluoroscopy (n = 77) were reviewed. RESULTS: Postoperative perceived recovery was reported by 76 and 63 % of patients at 3 months and 9 years, respectively. Functional status remained unchanged. The incidence of kyphosis and segmental instability was 15 and 18 %, respectively, and occurred almost exclusively if preoperative lordosis was <20°. Neither kyphosis nor segmental instability correlated to perceived recovery and no predisposing variables were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Cervical laminectomy without adjuvant-instrumented fusion should be considered as a treatment for compressive degenerative cervical myelopathy in patients with a lordotic cervical spine without congenital deformities. Additional reconstructive correction of the cervical spine is only proven appropriate in selected cases.

Interspinous process device versus standard conventional surgical decompression for lumbar spinal stenosis: randomised controlled trial.

STUDY QUESTION: Is interspinous process device implantation more effective in the short term (eight weeks) than conventional surgical decompression for patients with intermittent neurogenic claudication due to lumbar spinal stenosis? SUMMARY ANSWER: The use of interspinous implants did not result in a better outcome than conventional decompression, but the reoperation rate was significantly higher. WHAT IS KNOWN AND WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: Bony decompression and treatment with interspinous process devices are superior to conservative and non-surgical treatment for intermittent neurogenic claudication due to lumbar spinal stenosis. Interspinous implants surgery is not superior to bony decompression, and the reoperation rate is significantly higher.

Rationale and design of the INNOVATE Trial: an international cooperative study on surgical versus conservative treatment for odontoid fractures in the elderly.

BACKGROUND: Fractures of the odontoid process of the axis are the most common fractures of the geriatric cervical spine. As the population ages, their incidence is expected to increase progressively, as is the number of very old patients (>80 years) with an odontoid fracture. No consensus exists on the optimal treatment (surgical or conservative) and the most relevant outcome parameter (osseous union, fracture stability or clinical outcome). The aim of the INNOVATE (INterNational study on Odontoid frActure Treatment in the Elderly) Trial is to prospectively assess fracture healing and clinical outcome after surgical and conservative treatment for odontoid fractures in the elderly patient, with a specific focus on the very old patient. METHODS/DESIGN: The trial is an observational study in which eleven centres in five European countries are involved. All patients admitted to one of these centres who meet the selection criteria (≥55 years, acute (

Management of lumbar spinal stenosis: a survey among Dutch spine surgeons.

BACKGROUND: Various surgical and non-surgical treatments for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) are widely adopted in clinical practice, but high quality randomised controlled trials to support these are often lacking, especially in terms of their relative benefit and risk compared with other treatment options. Therefore, an evaluation of agreement among clinicians regarding the indications and the choice for particular treatments seems appropriate. METHODS: One hundred and six Dutch neurosurgeons and orthopaedic spine surgeons completed a questionnaire, which evaluated treatment options for LSS and expectations regarding the effectiveness of surgical and non-surgical treatments. RESULTS: Responders accounted for 6,971 decompression operations and 831 spinal fusion procedures for LSS annually. Typical neurogenic claudication, severe pain/disability, and a pronounced constriction of the spinal canal were considered the most important indications for surgical treatment by the majority of responders. Non-surgical treatment was generally regarded as ineffective and believed to be less effective than surgical treatment. Interlaminar decompression was the preferred technique by 68% of neurosurgeons and 52% orthopaedic surgeons for the treatment of LSS. Concomitant fusion was applied in 12% of all surgery for LSS. Most surgeons considered spondylolisthesis as an indication and spinal instability as a definite indication for additional fusion. CONCLUSIONS: The current survey demonstrates a wide variety of preferred treatments of symptomatic LSS by Dutch spine surgeons. To minimise variety, national and international protocols based on high-quality randomised controlled trials and systematic reviews are necessary to give surgeons more tools to support everyday decision-making.