Perioperative adverse events following surgery for primary bone tumors of the spine and en bloc resection for metastases.

OBJECTIVE: Surgical treatment of primary bone tumors of the spine and en bloc resection for isolated metastases are complex and challenging. Operative care is fraught with complications, though the true incidence and predictors of adverse events (AEs), length of stay (LOS), and mortality in this population remain poorly understood. The primary objective of this study was to describe the incidence and predictors of perioperative AEs in these patients. Secondary objectives included the determination of the incidence and predictors of admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), unanticipated reoperation during the same admission, hospital LOS, and mortality. METHODS: In this retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data, the authors included consecutive patients at a single quaternary care referral center (January 1, 2009, to September 30, 2018) who underwent either surgery for a primary bone tumor of the spine or an en bloc resection for an isolated spinal metastasis. Information on perioperative AEs, demographic data, primary tumor histology, neurological status, surgical variables, pathological margins, Enneking appropriateness, LOS, ICU stay, reoperation during the same admission period, and in-hospital mortality was collected prospectively in the institutional database. The modified frailty score was extracted retrospectively. RESULTS: One hundred thirteen patients met the inclusion criteria: 98 with primary bone tumors and 15 with isolated metastases. The cohort was 59% male, and the mean age was 49 years (SD 19 years). Overall, 79% of the patients experienced at least 1 AE. The median number of AEs per patient was 2 (IQR 0-4 AEs), and the median LOS was 16 days (IQR 9-32 days). No in-hospital deaths occurred in the cohort. Thirty-two patients (28%) required an ICU stay and 19% underwent an unanticipated second surgery during their admission. A longer surgical duration was associated with a higher likelihood of AEs (OR 1.21/hour, 95% CI 1.06-1.37, p = 0.005), longer ICU stay (OR 1.35/hour, 95% CI 1 1.20-1.52, p < 0.001), and reoperation (OR 1.001/hour, 95% CI 1.0003-1.003, p = 0.012). Longer hospital LOS was independently predicted by older age, female sex, upper cervical and sacral location of the tumor, surgical duration, preoperative neurological deficit, presence of AEs, and higher modified frailty index score. CONCLUSIONS: Surgeries for primary bone tumors and en bloc resection for metastatic tumors are associated with a high incidence of perioperative AEs. Surgical duration predicts complications, reoperation, LOS, and ICU stay.

Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers To Stratify Injury Severity and Predict Outcome in Human Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury.

Neurologic impairment after spinal cord injury (SCI) is currently measured and classified by functional examination. Biological markers that objectively classify injury severity and predict outcome would greatly facilitate efforts to evaluate acute SCI therapies. The purpose of this study was to determine how well inflammatory and structural proteins within the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of acute traumatic SCI patients predicted American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) grade conversion and motor score improvement over 6 months. Fifty acute SCI patients (29 AIS A, 9 AIS B, 12 AIS C; 32 cervical, 18 thoracic) were enrolled and CSF obtained through lumbar intrathecal catheters to analyze interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1, tau, S100ß, and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) at 24 h post-injury. The levels of IL-6, tau, S100ß, and GFAP were significantly different between patients with baseline AIS grades of A, B, or C. The levels of all proteins (IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1, tau, S100ß, and GFAP) were significantly different between those who improved an AIS grade over 6 months and those who did not improve. Linear discriminant analysis modeling was 83% accurate in predicting AIS conversion. For AIS A patients, the concentrations of proteins such as IL-6 and S100ß correlated with conversion to AIS B or C. Motor score improvement also was strongly correlated with the 24-h post-injury CSF levels of all six biomarkers. The analysis of CSF can provide valuable biological information about injury severity and recovery potential after acute SCI. Such biological markers may be valuable tools for stratifying individuals in acute clinical trials where variability in spontaneous recovery requires large recruitment cohorts for sufficient power.

Parallel Metabolomic Profiling of Cerebrospinal Fluid and Serum for Identifying Biomarkers of Injury Severity after Acute Human Spinal Cord Injury.

Suffering an acute spinal cord injury (SCI) can result in catastrophic physical and emotional loss. Efforts to translate novel therapies in acute clinical trials are impeded by the SCI community's singular dependence upon functional outcome measures. Therefore, a compelling rationale exists to establish neurochemical biomarkers for the objective classification of injury severity. In this study, CSF and serum samples were obtained at 3 time points (~24, 48, and 72 hours post-injury) from 30 acute SCI patients (10 AIS A, 12 AIS B, and 8 AIS C). A differential chemical isotope labeling liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (CIL LC-MS) with a universal metabolome standard (UMS) was applied to the metabolomic profiling of these samples. This method provided enhanced detection of the amine- and phenol-containing submetabolome. Metabolic pathway analysis revealed dysregulations in arginine-proline metabolism following SCI. Six CSF metabolites were identified as potential biomarkers of baseline injury severity, and good classification performance (AUC > 0.869) was achieved by using combinations of these metabolites in pair-wise comparisons of AIS A, B and C patients. Using the UMS strategy, the current data set can be expanded to a larger cohort for biomarker validation, as well as discovering biomarkers for predicting neurologic outcome.

Bilateral Pedicle and Crossed Translaminar Screws in C2.

Multiple techniques exist for the fixation of C2, including axial pedicle screws and bilateral translaminar screws. We describe a novel method of incorporating both the translaminar and pedicle screws within C2 to improve fixation to the subaxial spine in patients requiring posterior cervical instrumentation for deformity correction or instability. We report three cases of patients with cervical spinal instability, who underwent cervical spine instrumentation for stabilization and/or deformity correction. Bilateral C2 pedicle screws were inserted, followed by bilateral crossed laminar screws. The instrumentation method successfully achieved fixation in all three patients. There were no immediate postoperative complications, and hardware positioning was satisfactory. Instrumenting C2 with translaminar and pedicle screws is technically feasible, and it may improve fixation to the subaxial spine in patients with poor bone quality or severe subaxial deformity, which require a stronger instrumentation construct.

Pelvic reconstruction after subtotal sacrectomy for sacral chondrosarcoma using cadaveric and vascularized fibula autograft: Technical note.

A novel method of spinopelvic ring reconstruction after partial sacrectomy for a chondrosarcoma is described. Chondrosarcoma is one of the most common primary malignant bone tumors, and en bloc resection is the mainstay of treatment. Involvement of the pelvis as well as the sacrum and lumbar spine can result in a technically difficult challenge for en bloc resection and for achievement of appropriate load-bearing reconstruction. After en bloc resection in their patient, the authors achieved reconstruction with a rod and screw construct including vascularized fibula graft as the main strut from the lumbar spine to the pelvis. Additionally, a cadaveric allograft strut was used as an adjunct for the pelvic ring. This is similar to a modified Galveston technique with vascularized fibula in place of the Galveston rods. The vascularized fibula provided appropriate biomechanical support, allowing the patient to return to independent ambulation. There was no tumor recurrence; neurological status remained stable; and the allograft construct integrated well and even increased in size on CT scans and radiographs in the course of a follow-up longer than 7 years.

Orthosis versus no orthosis for the treatment of thoracolumbar burst fractures without neurologic injury: a multicenter prospective randomized equivalence trial.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Thoracolumbar burst fractures have good outcomes when treated with early ambulation and orthosis (TLSO). If equally good outcomes could be achieved with early ambulation and no brace, resource utilization would be decreased, especially in developing countries where prolonged bed rest is the default option because bracing is not available or affordable. PURPOSE: To determine whether TLSO is equivalent to no orthosis (NO) in the treatment of acute AO Type A3 thoracolumbar burst fractures with respect to their functional outcome at 3 months. STUDY DESIGN: A multicentre, randomized, nonblinded equivalence trial involving three Canadian tertiary spine centers. Enrollment began in 2002 and 2-year follow-up was completed in 2011. PATIENT SAMPLE: Inclusion criteria included AO-A3 burst fractures between T11 and L3, skeletally mature and older than 60 years, 72 hours from their injury, kyphotic deformity lower than 35°, no neurologic deficit. One hundred ten patients were assessed for eligibility for the study; 14 patients were not recruited because they resided outside the country (3), refused participation (8), or were not consented before independent ambulation (3). OUTCOME MEASURES: Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire score (RMDQ) assessed at 3 months postinjury. The equivalence margin was set at δ=5 points. METHODS: The NO group was encouraged to ambulate immediately with bending restrictions for 8 weeks. The TLSO group ambulated when the brace was available and weaned from the brace after 8 to 10 weeks. The following competitive grants supported this work: VHHSC Interdisciplinary Research Grant, Zimmer/University of British Columbia Research Fund, and Hip Hip Hooray Research Grant. Aspen Medical provided the TLSOs used in this study. The authors have no financial or personal relationships that could inappropriately influence this work. RESULTS: Forty-seven patients were enrolled into the TLSO group and 49 patients into the NO group. Forty-six participants per group were available for the primary outcome. The RMDQ score at 3 months postinjury was 6.8 ± 5.4 (standard deviation [SD]) for the TLSO group and 7.7 ± 6.0 (SD) in the NO group. The 95% confidence interval (-1.5 to 3.2) was within the predetermined margin of equivalence. Six patients required surgical stabilization, five of them before initial discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Treating these fractures using early ambulation without a brace avoids the cost and patient deconditioning associated with a brace and complications and costs associated with long-term bed rest if a TLSO or body cast is not available.

Health-related quality-of-life outcomes after thoracic (T1-T10) fractures.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: The thoracic spine exhibits a unique response to trauma as the result of recognized anatomical and biomechanical differences. Despite this response, clinical studies often group thoracic fractures (T1-T10) with more caudal thoracolumbar injuries. Subsequently, there is a paucity of literature on the functional outcomes of this distinct group of injuries. PURPOSE: To describe and identify predictors of health-related quality-of-life outcomes and re-employment status in patients with thoracic fractures who present to a spine injury tertiary referral center. STUDY DESIGN: An ambispective cohort study with cross-sectional outcome assessment. PATIENT SAMPLE: A prospectively collected fully relational spine database was searched to identify all adult (>16 years) patients treated with traumatic thoracic (T1-T10) fractures with and without neurologic deficits, treated between 1995 and 2008. OUTCOME MEASURES: The Short-Form-36, Oswestry Disability Index, and Prolo Economic Scale outcome instruments were completed at a minimum follow-up of 12 months. Preoperative and minimum 1-year postinjury X-rays were evaluated. METHOD: Univariate and multivariate regression analysis was used to identify predictors of outcomes from a range of demographic, injury, treatment, and radiographic variables. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-six patients, age 36±15 years (mean±SD), with 135 fractures were assessed at a mean follow-up of 6 years (range 1-15.5 years). Traffic accidents (45%) and translational injuries (54%) were the most common mechanism and dominant fracture pattern, respectively. Neurologic deficits were frequent-53% had complete (American Spinal Injury Association impairment scale [AIS] A) spinal cord deficits on admission. Operative management was performed in 78%. Patients who sustain thoracic fractures, but escaped significant neurologic injury (AIS D or E on admission) had SF-36 scores that did not differ significantly from population norms at a mean follow-up of 6 years. Eighty-eight percent of this cohort was re-employed. Interestingly, Oswestry Disability Index scores remained inferior to healthy subjects. In contrast, SF-36 scores in those with more profound neurologic deficits at presentation (AIS A, B, or C) remained inferior to normative data. Fifty-seven percent were re-employed, 25% in their previous job type. Using multiple regression analysis, we found that comorbidity status (measured by the Charlson Comorbidity index) was the only independent predictor of SF-36 scores. Neurologic impairment (AIS) and adverse events were independent predictors of the SF-36 physical functioning subscale. Sagittal alignment and number of fused levels were not independent predictors. CONCLUSIONS: At a mean follow-up of 6 years, patients who presented with thoracic fractures and AIS D or E neurologic status recovered a general health status not significantly inferior to population norms. Compared with other neurologic intact spinal injuries, patients with thoracic injuries have a favorable generic health-related quality-of-life prognosis. Inferior outcomes and re-employment prospects were noted in those with more significant neurologic deficits.

Feasibility of patient recruitment into clinical trials of experimental treatments for acute spinal cord injury.

Clinical trials of experimental neuroprotective and neuroregenerative therapies for acute spinal cord injury (SCI) typically require large numbers of patients to be enrolled. An important factor in designing such trials is the number of patients that can be realistically recruited at a given institution. The total number of patients with acute SCI treated at a neurotrauma centre is typically considered when such a site becomes a recruiting centre for a clinical trial. However, only a fraction of patients may be truly eligible due to the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the trial. This study was conducted to estimate the proportion of patients with acute SCI who would theoretically satisfy basic inclusion criteria for such a hypothetical clinical trial. Using a local prospective database, we reviewed 406 patients with acute traumatic SCI admitted between 2005 and 2009. 259 of 406 patients (64%) presented within 12 hours of injury, 53 patients (13%) between 12 hours and 24 hours, and 30 patients (7%) between 24 hours and 48 hours. Patients were assessed on admission using the American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale: category A, 39% of patients; B, 11%; C, 17%; and D, 28%. The number of patients who presented with injuries or other conditions that would likely exclude them from enrolment was 30%. Thus, of a total of 406 patients with SCI admitted over four years, the number who would have been eligible for an acute clinical trial was disappointingly small. This study is the first to quantify this challenging aspect of conducting acute SCI clinical trials, and provides guidance for those planning such initiatives.

Postoperative infection treatment score for the spine (PITSS): construction and validation of a predictive model to define need for single versus multiple irrigation and debridement for spinal surgical site infection.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: There is very little evidence to guide treatment of patients with spinal surgical site infection (SSI) who require irrigation and debridement (I&D) in deciding need for single or multiple I&Ds or more complex wound management such as vacuum-assisted closure dressing or soft-tissue flaps. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to build a predictive model that stratifies patients with spinal SSI, allowing us to determine which patients will need single versus multiple I&D. The model will be validated and will serve as evidence to support a scoring system to guide treatment. STUDY DESIGN: A consecutive series of 128 patients from a tertiary spine center (collected from 1999 to 2005) who required I&D for spinal SSI were studied based on data from a prospectively collected outcomes database. METHODS: More than 30 variables were identified by extensive literature review as possible risk factors for SSI and tested as possible predictors of risk for multiple I&D. Logistic regression was conducted to assess each variable's predictability by a "bootstrap" statistical method. A prediction model was built in which single or multiple I&D was treated as the "response" and risk factors as "predictors." Next, a second series of 34 different patients meeting the same criteria as the first population were studied. External validation of the predictive model was performed by applying the model to the second data set, and predicted probabilities were generated for each patient. Receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed, and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated. RESULTS: Twenty-four of one hundred twenty-eight patients with spinal SSI required multiple I&D. Six predictors: anatomical location, medical comorbidities, specific microbiology of the SSI, the presence of distant site infection (ie, urinary tract infection or bacteremia), the presence of instrumentation, and the bone graft type proved to be the most reliable predictors of need for multiple I&D. Internal validation of the predictive model yielded an AUC of 0.84. External validation analysis yielded AUC of 0.70 and 95% confidence interval of 0.51 to 0.89. By setting a probability cutoff of .24, the negative predictive value (NPV) for multiple I&D was 0.77 and positive predictive value (PPV) was 0.57. A probability cutoff of .53 yielded a PPV of 0.85 and NPV of 0.46. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with positive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus culture or those with distant site infection such as bacteremia were strong predictors of need for multiple I&D. Presence of instrumentation, location of surgery in the posterior lumbar spine, and use of nonautograft bone graft material predicted multiple I&D. Diabetes also proved to be the most significant medical comorbidity for multiple I&D. The validation of this predictive model revealed excellent PPV and good NPV with appropriately chosen probability cutoff points. This study forms the basis for an evidence-based classification system, the Postoperative Infection Treatment Score for the Spine that stratifies patients who require surgery for SSI, based on specific spine, patient, infection, and surgical factors to assess a low, indeterminate, and high risk for the need for multiple I&D.

Surgical management of primary bone tumors of the spine: validation of an approach to enhance cure and reduce local recurrence.

STUDY DESIGN: Multicenter ambispective cohort analysis. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to determine whether applying Enneking's principles to surgical management of primary bone tumors of the spine significant decreases local recurrence and/or mortality. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Oncologic management of primary tumors of spine has historically been inconsistent, controversial, and open to individual interpretation. METHODS: A multicenter ambispective cohort analysis from 4 tertiary care spine referral centers was done. Patients were analyzed in 2 cohorts, "Enneking Appropriate" (EA), surgical margin as recommended by Enneking, and "Enneking Inappropriate" (EI), surgical margin not recommended by Enneking. Benign tumors were not included in mortality analysis. RESULTS: Two cohorts represented an analytic dataset with 147 patients, 86 male, average age 46 years (range: 10-83). Median follow-up was 4 (2-7) years in the EA and 6 (5.5-15.5) years in the EI. Seventy-one patients suffered at least 1 local recurrence during the study, 57 of 77 in the EI group and 14 of 70 in the EA group. EI surgical approach caused higher risk of first local recurrence (P < 0.0001). There were 48 deaths in total; 29 in the EI group and 19 in the EA. There was a strong correlation between the first local recurrence and mortality with an odds ratio of 4.69, (P < 0.0001). EI surgical approach resulted in a higher risk of mortality with a hazard ratio of 3.10, (P = 0.0485) compared to EA approach. CONCLUSION: Surgery results in a significant reduction in local recurrence when primary bone tumors of the spine are resected with EA margins. Local recurrence has a high concordance with mortality in resection of these tumors. A significant decrease in mortality occurs when EA surgery is used.

Cerebrospinal fluid inflammatory cytokines and biomarkers of injury severity in acute human spinal cord injury.

There is an urgent need for both the scientific development and clinical validation of novel therapies for acute spinal cord injury (SCI). The scientific development of novel therapies would be facilitated by a better understanding of the acute pathophysiology of human SCI. Clinical validation of such therapies would be facilitated by the availability of biomarkers with which to stratify injury severity and predict neurological recovery. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were obtained over a period of 72 h in 27 patients with complete SCI (ASIA A) or incomplete SCI (ASIA B or C). Cytokines were measured in CSF and serum samples using a multiplex cytokine array system and standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) techniques. Neurological recovery was monitored, and patient-reported neuropathic pain was documented. IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1, tau, S100beta, and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) were elevated in a severity-dependent fashion. A biochemical model was established using S100beta, GFAP, and IL-8 to predict injury severity (ASIA A, B, or C). Using these protein concentrations at 24-h post injury, the model accurately predicted the observed ASIA grade in 89% of patients. Furthermore, segmental motor recovery at 6 months post injury was better predicted by these CSF proteins than with the patients' baseline ASIA grade. The pattern of expression over the first 3 to 4 days post injury of a number of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, IL-8, and MCP-1 provides invaluable information about the pathophysiology of human SCI. A prediction model that could use such biological data to stratify injury severity and predict neurological outcome may be extremely useful for facilitating the clinical validation of novel treatments in acute human SCI.

Comparison of thoracolumbosacral orthosis and no orthosis for the treatment of thoracolumbar burst fractures: interim analysis of a multicenter randomized clinical equivalence trial.

OBJECT: The authors compared the outcome of patients with thoracolumbar burst fractures treated with and without a thoracolumbosacral orthosis (TLSO). METHODS: As of June 2002, all consecutive patients satisfying the following inclusion criteria were considered eligible for this study: 1) the presence of an AO Classification Type A3 burst fractures between T-11 and L-3, 2) skeletal maturity and age < 60 years, 3) admission within 72 hours of injury, 4) initial kyphotic deformity < 35 degrees, and 5) no neurological deficit. The study was designed as a multicenter prospective randomized clinical equivalence trial. The primary outcome measure was the score based on the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire assessed at 3 months postinjury. Secondary outcomes are assessed until 2 years of follow-up have been reached, and these domains included pain, functional outcome and generic health-related quality of life, sagittal alignment, length of hospital stay, and complications. Patients in whom no orthotic was used were encouraged to ambulate immediately following randomization, maintaining "neutral spinal alignment" for 8 weeks. The patients in the TLSO group began being weaned from the brace at 8 weeks over a 2-week period. RESULTS: Sixty-nine patients were followed to the primary outcome time point, and 47 were followed for up to 1 year. No significant difference was found between treatment groups for any outcome measure at any stage in the follow-up period. There were 4 failures requiring surgical intervention, 3 in the TLSO group and 1 in the non-TLSO group. CONCLUSIONS: This interim analysis found equivalence between treatment with a TLSO and no orthosis for thoracolumbar AO Type A3 burst fractures. The influence of a brace on early pain control and function and on long-term 1- and 2-year outcomes remains to be determined. However, the authors contend that a thoracolumbar burst fracture, in exclusion of an associated posterior ligamentous complex injury, is inherently a very stable injury and may not require a brace.

Intrathecal pressure monitoring and cerebrospinal fluid drainage in acute spinal cord injury: a prospective randomized trial.

OBJECT: Ischemia is an important factor in the pathophysiology of secondary damage after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) and, in the setting of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair, can be the primary cause of paralysis. Lowering the intrathecal pressure (ITP) by draining CSF is routinely done in thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm surgery but has not been evaluated in the setting of acute traumatic SCI. Additionally, while much attention is directed toward maintaining an adequate mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) in the acute postinjury phase, little is known about what is happening to the ITP during this period when spinal cord perfusion pressure (MABP - ITP) is important. The objectives of this study were to: 1) evaluate the safety and feasibility of draining CSF to lower ITP after acute traumatic SCI; 2) evaluate changes in ITP before and after surgical decompression; and 3) measure neurological recovery in relation to the drainage of CSF. METHODS: Twenty-two patients seen within 48 hours of injury were prospectively randomized to a drainage or no-drainage treatment group. In all cases a lumbar intrathecal catheter was inserted for 72 hours. Acute complications of headache/nausea/vomiting, meningitis, or neurological deterioration were carefully monitored. Acute Spinal Cord Injury motor scores were documented at baseline and at 6 months postinjury. RESULTS: On insertion of the catheter, mean ITP was 13.8 +/- 1.3 mm Hg (+/- SD), and it increased to a mean peak of 21.7 +/- 1.5 mm Hg intraoperatively. The difference between the starting ITP on catheter insertion and the observed peak intrathecal pressure after decompression was, on average, an increase of 7.9 +/- 1.6 mm Hg (p < 0.0001, paired t-test). During the postoperative period, the peak recorded ITP in the patients randomized to the no-drainage group was 30.6 +/- 2.3 mm Hg, which was significantly higher than the peak intraoperative ITP (p = 0.0098). During the same period, the peak recorded ITP in patients randomized to receive drainage was 28.1 +/- 2.8 mm Hg, which was not statistically higher than the peak intraoperative ITP (p = 0.15). CONCLUSIONS: The insertion of lumbar intrathecal catheters and the drainage of CSF were not associated with significant adverse events, although the cohort was small and only a limited amount of CSF was drained. Intraoperative decompression of the spinal cord results in an increase in the ITP measured caudal to the injury site. Increases in intrathecal pressure are additionally observed in the postoperative period. These increases in intrathecal pressure result in reduced spinal cord perfusion that will otherwise go undetected when measuring only the MABP. Characteristic changes in the observed intrathecal pressure waveform occur after surgical decompression, reflecting the restoration of CSF flow across the SCI site. As such, the waveform pattern may be used intraoperatively to determine if adequate decompression of the thecal sac has been accomplished.

A prospective randomized controlled trial of anterior compared with posterior stabilization for unilateral facet injuries of the cervical spine.

OBJECT: Unilateral facet injuries can be treated with either anterior or posterior fixation techniques with reportedly good outcomes. The two approaches have not been directly compared, however, and consensus is lacking as to which is the optimal method. The primary objective of this study was to determine whether acute postoperative morbidity differed between anteriorly and posteriorly treated patients with unilateral facet injuries. METHODS: Forty-two patients were prospectively randomized to undergo either anterior cervical discectomy and fusion or posterior fixation. The primary outcome measure was the postoperative time required to achieve a predefined set of discharge criteria. Secondary outcome measures included postoperative pain, wound infections, radiographically demonstrated fusion and alignment, and patient-reported outcome measures. RESULTS: The median time to achieve the discharge criteria was 2.75 and 3.5 days for anterior and posterior groups, respectively, a difference that did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.096). Compared with those treated using posterior fixation, anteriorly treated patients exhibited somewhat less postoperative pain, a lower rate of wound infection, a higher rate of radiographically demonstrated union, and better radiographically proven alignment. Nonetheless, the anterior approach was accompanied by a risk of swallowing difficulty in the early postoperative period. Patient-reported outcome measures did not reveal a difference between anterior and posterior fixation procedures. CONCLUSIONS: This prospective randomized controlled trial provided level 1 evidence that both the anterior and posterior fixation approaches appear to be valid treatment options. Although statistical significance was not reached in the primary outcome measure, some secondary outcome measures favored anterior fixation and others favored posterior treatment for unilateral facet injuries.

Impact of surgical intervention on quality of life in patients with spinal metastases.

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective clinical study. OBJECTIVE: To assess Health-Related Quality of Life outcomes in patients undergoing surgery for spinal metastases. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Increasing life expectancy of patients with spinal metastases has resulted in greater interest in overall quality of life, including pain and neurologic impairment. To assess the overall risks and benefits of surgical intervention, the overall impact of each on the overall health status must be assessed. METHODS: All patients who presented to a single institution with bony spinal metastases requiring surgical intervention were eligible. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: previous surgery for spinal metastases, primary tumors of the spine, and inability to fill out the questionnaires. Patients completed an EORTC QLQ-C30, the HUI-3, the EQ-5D, visual analog pain, and an ECOG functional assessment. at five points: before surgery and at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year post surgery. RESULTS: Of 96 patients who presented to the hospital, 85 were enrolled in the study. Average age was 58.6 years (range, 20.3-80.7 years) with 47 male patients; 50% survival as 39.1 weeks. Maximal and average VAS pain levels showed a statistically significant (P < 0.00001) improvement from preoperative to all postoperative time points. Only the QLQ-C30 global health status showed a statistically significant improvement from preoperative to the 6-week (P = 0.017), 3-month (P = 0.039), and 6-month (P = 0.013) time points. There was a statistically significant correlation between baseline global health status and survival time (P = 0.041). Overall distribution of HUI-3 utility calculated Quality of Life Adjusted Years (QALY) during the 1-year postoperative period showed a bimodal distribution with peaks at 0.1 and 0.7 years. CONCLUSIONS: Surgery for patients with spinal metastases offers decreased pain and improved quality of life with low rates of surgical complications.

Progressive junctional kyphosis at the caudal end of lumbar instrumented fusion: etiology, predictors, and treatment.

STUDY DESIGN: Clinical case series. OBJECTIVE: To describe a series of patients with progressive sagittal decompensation caused by failure at the caudal end of an instrumented lumbar fusion. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Lumbar kyphosis in association with global sagittal decompensation can be a disabling problem, particularly as a late complication of distraction instrumentation. Although kyphosis at the rostral end of instrumented fusions secondary to adjacent segment degeneration has been well described, substantially less has been documented about failure and kyphosis at the caudal end. METHODS: Patients who have a progressive lumbar kyphosis and sagittal decompensation requiring operative revision were retrospectively reviewed, and radiographic measurements of lumbar lordosis and sagittal balance were performed to study this problem. RESULTS: There were 13 patients identified. The most common mode of caudal junctional decompensation was related to failure of the most distal fixation. Sagittal decompensation occurred even in the presence of satisfactory lumbar lordosis. Revision surgery and improved sagittal balance were achieved typically using the technique of pedicle subtraction osteotomy and extension of the instrumentation to the sacrum. Osteoporosis, hip osteoarthritis, and substance abuse were commonly observed associations. CONCLUSIONS: Fixation failure at the caudal end of lumbar-instrumented fusion should be considered in patients with progressive sagittal decompensation. The high potential for failure of L5 pedicle screws after the index surgery warrants serious consideration of extending such fusions into the sacrum/ilium.

En bloc marginal excision of a multilevel cervical chordoma. Case report.

The purpose of this case report is to demonstrate that an en bloc resection with negative surgical margins can be successfully achieved in a case of a seemingly unresectable C-2 chordoma if appropriate preoperative staging and planning are performed. The management of chordomas is controversial and challenging because of their location and often large size at presentation. Because chordomas are malignant and will aggressively recur locally if intralesional resection is conducted, wide or true en bloc resection is generally recommended. The literature indicates, however, that surgeons are reluctant to perform wide or even marginal resections because of the lesion's complex surrounding anatomy and the risk of significant neurological compromise when a tumor abuts the dura mater or neural tissues. In this report the authors outline the successful en bloc resection of a large C1-3 chordoma and discuss the importance of preoperative staging and planning.

The surgical management of primary tumorsof the spine: initial results of an ongoing prospective cohort study.

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. OBJECTIVES: To prospectively validate the application of appendicular surgical oncology principles to the treatment of primary bone tumors of the spine at a quaternary care spine center using local recurrence, survival, and health-related quality of life as outcome measures. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: There is clear evidence that violating the margins of a sarcoma or other malignancy during surgical resection will risk local recurrence and diminish overall survival. Previous publications have retrospectively demonstrated this oncologically sound approach to spine tumor management to be internally valid. The external validity or limited generalizability has not been assessed. METHODS: Included were all patients who underwent en bloc surgical resection of a primary tumor of the spine between January 1994 and November 2003, at the authors' institution. Patients were uniformly staged before surgery and baseline demographic and surgical variables were recorded, as well as a cross-sectional evaluation of generic health-related quality of life. RESULTS: Twenty-six patients (12 males and 14 females) were eligible for the study. Average age was 42 (range 16 to 70). There were 19 malignant tumors and 7 benign. There are 20 surviving patients with an average follow-up of 41.5 months (range 6 to 111 months), 15 of whom had malignant tumors. None of these patients have evidence of local recurrence, and one has evidence of systemic disease. The health-related quality of life, using the SF-36, shows acceptable morbidity of these procedures (physical component summary = 37.73 +/- 11.52, MCS = 51.69 +/- 9.54). CONCLUSIONS: Principles of wide surgical resection, commonly applied in appendicular oncology, can and should be used for the treatment of primary bone tumors of the spine with anticipated acceptable morbidity and satisfactory survival.

Ligation and partial excision of the cauda equina as part of a wide resection of vertebral osteosarcoma: a case report and description of surgical technique.

STUDY DESIGN: A case report. OBJECTIVES: To describe the unique challenges and novel surgical approach to treatment of vertebral osteosarcoma involving the dura as a margin. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Osteosarcoma of the vertebral column is a rare, malignant osseous tumor, carrying a poor prognosis. Currently, best available evidence supports that optimal surgical treatment entails wide excision of the tumor. Intentionally compromising neurologic function in order to ensure resection of the tumor with wide surgical margins can pose a difficult dilemma for the surgeon and patient. We describe here the first reported case, to our knowledge, of wide surgical resection of a vertebral osteosarcoma, including ligation and resection of part of the cauda equina and conus medullaris. METHODS: The clinical and radiographic presentations of a patient with osteosarcoma of L2 are presented. The challenges of surgical treatment of a primary malignant tumor of the spine, involving the dura as a margin, are discussed. The ultimate surgical technique employed to achieve wide surgical margins is described in detail. RESULTS: Four-year follow-up shows the patient is doing well, ambulating in a wheelchair, with no clinical or radiologic evidence of active disease or back or neuropathic pain and solid bony fusion. CONCLUSION: Currently, there is sufficient evidence to support the premise that the best chance for cure in sarcomas of the spine can be afforded through en bloc resection with negative margins. Neurologic forfeit in resection of spinal tumors, however, is usually at the root level, and this is the only case where such dramatic neurologic sacrifice was carried out. Although it is still early, the surgical and medical goals have been met, but most importantly, the patient's foremost goal of survival has been accomplished.

Early versus late enteral feeding in patients with acute cervical spinal cord injury: a pilot study.

STUDY DESIGN: A prospective randomized clinical pilot study to compare early versus late enteral feeding in patients with acute cervical spinal cord injury. OBJECTIVES: To compare the incidence of infections in patients with acute cervical spinal cord injury who received early versus late enteral feeding. Secondary objectives included assessing nutritional status, feeding tolerance, the number of ventilator hours, and acute-care hospital length of stay. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Early nutritional support has been found to be beneficial in critically ill patients. However, the same benefits may not be realized in patients with acute cervical spinal cord injury because of their unique nutritional challenges. METHODS: Eligible patients were randomized to early feeding (initiated before 72 hours after injury) and late (initiated more than 120 hours after injury). Patients were stratified on the basis of their neurologic level. Patients were assessed daily for the first 15 days. After that time, infections (according to Center for Disease Control criteria), ventilator hours, and length of acute-care hospital stay were tracked. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients met the eligibility criteria, and 17 patients were included in the analysis. There were 7 patients in the early group and 10 in the late group. The early group had a mean of 2.4 +/- 1.5 infections compared with the late group, which had a mean of 1.7 +/- 1.1 infections. Secondary outcomes were not substantially different between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study failed to detect any differences in the incidence of infection, nutritional status, feeding complications, number of ventilator hours, or length of stay between patients receiving early versus late initiation of enteral feeding. These data will assist in the determination of an adequate sample size for future studies.