International and Multicenter Prospective Controlled Study of Dysphagia After Anterior Cervical Spine Surgery.

BACKGROUND: In the context of anterior approach to the cervical spine, dysphagia is a common complication and still without a clear distinction of risk factors. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the risk factors of dysphagia after cervical spine surgery. METHODS: Multicenter prospective study evaluated patients who underwent anterior cervical spine surgery for degenerative pathologies, studying surgical, anesthesia, base disease, and radiological variables (preoperatively, 24 hours, 1 and 3 weeks, and 6 months after surgery), with control group matched. Postoperative dysphagia was assessed by Swallowing Satisfaction Index and Swallowing Questionnaire; besides, based on multiple logistic regression model, a risk factor analysis correlation was applied. RESULTS: In total, 233 cervical patients were evaluated; most common level approached was C5-C6 (71.8%). All showed same decreasing trade for dysphagia incidence-with more cases on cervical group ( P < .05); severe cases were rare. At postoperative day 1, identified risk factors were approach to C3-C4 (4.11, P < .01), loss of preoperative cervical lordosis (2.26, P < .01), intubation attempts ≥2 (3.10, P < .01), and left side approach (1.85, P = .02); at day 7, body mass index ≥30 (2.29, P = .02), C3-C4 (3.42, P < .01), and length of surgery ≥90 minutes (2.97, P = .005); and at day 21, C3-C4 were kept as a risk factor (3.62, P < .01). CONCLUSION: A high incidence level of dysphagia was identified, having a clear decreasing trending (number of cases and severity) through postoperative time points; considering possible risk factors, strongest correlation was the approach at the C3-C4 level-statistically significant at the 24 hours, 7 days, and 21 days assessment.

Modelo de hipotermia experimental en murinos para estudios de lesión medular / Experimental hypothermia murine model for spinal cord injury studies

Introducción: Los ensayos de hipotermia sistémica en murinos son costosos, debido a la complejidad de los sistemas. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar si el modelo de hipotermia sistémica exógena utilizado en nuestro laboratorio para la hipotermia ocular es útil para reducir significativamente la temperatura de la médula espinal en ratas adultas. Materiales y métodos: Se utilizaron 36 ratas Sprague-Dawley albinas macho de 60 días, distribuidas en dos grupos: grupo normotermia a 24 °C (n = 18) y grupo hipotermia (n = 18) en cámara fría a 8 °C durante 180 minutos. Resultados: La temperatura rectal promedio fue de 37,71 ± 0,572 °C en el grupo normotermia y 34,03 ± 0,250 °C en el grupo hipotermia (p <0,0001). La temperatura medular promedio fue de 38,8 ± 0,468 °C en el grupo normotermia y de 36,4 ± 0,290 °C en el grupo hipotermia (p <0,0001). Conclusiones: El uso de hipotermia sistémica en ratas de laboratorio parece ser un método prometedor para evaluar los mecanismos fisiológicos y patológicos que se desencadenan en la médula espinal. La exposición al frío en cámara genera hipotermia medular significativa en ratas adultas. Los resultados sugieren que podría ser un modelo adecuado de hipotermia medular de bajo costo. Nivel de Evidencia: III

Given the complexity of hypothermal trial systems in murines, they are expensive. Our objective was to evaluate if the exogenous hypothermal model used in our laboratory for ocular hypothermia was useful for a significant reduction in medullar spine temperature in adult murines. Materials and methods: 36 60-day-old adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were used. They were separated into two groups: a normal temperature group at 24 °C (n=18) and a hypothermia group in a cold chamber at 8 °C for 180 minutes (n=18). Results: The mean rectal temperature was 37.71 °C ± 0.572 in the normothermia group and 34.03°C ± 0.250 in the hypothermia group (p <0.0001). The mean medullar temperature was 38.8 ± 0.468 °C in the normothermia group and 36.4 ± 0.290 °C in the hypothermia group (p <0.0001). Conclusion: Using systematic hypothermia in lab rats seems to be promising to evaluate physiologic and pathological mechanisms triggered in the medullar spine. Exposure to cold in the external chamber produces significant medullar hypothermia in adult rats. Results suggest this might be an adequate and inexpensive medullar hypothermal model. Level of Evidence: III

Rotura simultanea bilateral de tendon cuadricipital asociada a anabolizantes esteroideos / Bilateral simultaneous rupture of quadriceps tendon associated to anabolic steroids administration

La rotura bilateral y simultánea del tendón cuadricipital es una lesión rara con pocos reportes en la literatura, que suele ocurrir en mayores de 50 años con enfermedades sistémicas crónicas subyacentes. Presentamos el caso de un paciente masculino sano de 32 años con rotura bilateral de tendón cuadricipital durante la práctica de musculación asociada a la administración de anabolizantes esteroideos y el tratamiento realizado

Bilateral and simultaneous rupture of the quadriceps tendon is a rare injury with a few reports in record that usually occurs in people older than 50 years with underlying chronic systemic diseases. We present the case of a healthy 32-year-old male patient with bilateral quadriceps tendon rupture during weight training practice associated to anabolic steroids administration and the treatment provided

Analysis of scientific output by spine surgeons from Japan: January 2000 to December 2013.

BACKGROUND: Over the last decade, the growing body of work on spine pathology has led to developments and refinements in the areas of basic science, diagnosis and treatment of a variety of spine conditions. Scientific publications have a global impact on the international scientific community as they share vital information that can be applied by physicians worldwide to solve their everyday medical problems. The historical background of scientific publication in journals in Japan on the subject of spine is unclear. METHODS: We performed a literature search for publications by Japanese spine surgeons regarding spine or spinal cord topics using an online database: Pubmed.gov (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/). The results were stored and analyzed at the Laboratory of Clinical Studies and Basic Models of Spinal Disorders of the University of Caxias do Sul. Results were limited to articles published from January 2000 to December 2013. The search terms used were "Japan" AND ("spine" OR "spinal diseases" OR "spinal cord" OR "spinal cord diseases" OR "vertebroplasty" OR "arthrodesis" OR "discectomy" OR "foraminotomy" OR "laminectomy" OR "denervation" OR "back injuries"). Japanese spine surgeons were defined as spine surgeons from orthopedic or neurosurgical specialties where the publication was affiliated with Japanese services. RESULTS: A total of 16,140 articles were identified by the Medline search. Most of the articles were excluded based on information provided in the title and abstract as they were not related to spine surgery. This study comprised 1768 articles published in the Medline database by Japanese spine surgeons from 2000 to 2013. The number of publications rose in a linear fashion, with the number of papers published increasing by 5.4 per year (p = 0.038). In recent years the publications were increasingly performed in conjunction with the neurosurgery and orthopedics specialties. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed a clear increase in publications (on Medline) by Japanese spine surgeons over the last 14 years. While this is a positive development, there is also cause for concern as there is some evidence that the number of young scientists is declining in Japan. Special attention to educating researchers and improving resources for research is crucial to further increase the number and quality of Japanese publications.

Economic value of treating lumbar disc herniation in Brazil.

OBJECT: Lumbar discectomy is one of the most common surgical spine procedures. In order to understand the value of this surgical care, it is important to understand the costs to the health care system and patient for good results. The objective of this study was to evaluate for the first time the cost-effectiveness of spine surgery in Latin America for lumbar discectomy in terms of cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained for patients in Brazil. METHODS: The authors performed a prospective cohort study involving 143 consecutive patients who underwent open discectomy for lumbar disc herniation (LDH). Patient-reported outcomes were assessed utilizing the SF-6D, which is derived from a 12-month variation of the SF-36. Direct medical costs included medical reimbursement, costs of hospital care, and overall resource consumption. Disability losses were considered indirect costs. A 4-year horizon with 3% discounting was applied to health-utilities estimates. Sensitivity analysis was performed by varying utility gain by 20%. The costs were expressed in Reais (R$) and US dollars ($), applying an exchange rate of 2.4:1 (the rate at the time of manuscript preparation). RESULTS: The direct and indirect costs of open lumbar discectomy were estimated at an average of R$3426.72 ($1427.80) and R$2027.67 ($844.86), respectively. The mean total cost of treatment was estimated at R$5454.40 ($2272.66) (SD R$2709.17 [$1128.82]). The SF-6D utility gain was 0.044 (95% CI 0.03197-0.05923, p = 0.017) at 12 months. The 4-year discounted QALY gain was 0.176928. The estimated cost-utility ratio was R$30,828.35 ($12,845.14) per QALY gained. The sensitivity analysis showed a range of R$25,690.29 ($10,714.28) to R$38,535.44 ($16,056.43) per QALY gained. CONCLUSIONS: The use of open lumbar discectomy to treat LDH is associated with a significant improvement in patient outcomes as measured by the SF-6D. Open lumbar discectomy performed in the Brazilian supplementary health care system provides a cost-utility ratio of R$30,828.35 ($12,845.14) per QALY. The value of acceptable cost-effectiveness will vary by country and region.

Prophylaxis of surgical site infection with vancomycin in 513 patients that underwent to lumbar fusion / Profilaxia de infecção de sítio cirúrgico com vancomicina em 513 pacientes submetidos a fusão da coluna lombar / Profilaxis de infeccion del sitio quirúrgico con vancomicina en 513 pacientes com artrodesis lumbares

Objective: To assess the prophylactic effects of local vancomycin on an infection of the surgical site in patients undergoing lumbar instrumented fusion. Methods: Retrospective study from January 2011 to June 2014 in patients with symptomatic and refractory lumbar spine stenosis and listhesis who underwent instrumented pedicle screw spinal fusion. Two groups of patient were analyzed, one using vancomycin on the surgical site, vancomycin group (VG) and the control group (CG) without topical vancomycin. The routine prophylactic procedures were performed in both groups: aseptic scrub technique, skin preparation, preoperative intravenous antibiotic therapy. The VG received a dose of 1g of vancomycin mixed with the bone graft every three spinal levels fused and the group consisted of 232 patients. Results: 513 patients were analyzed, 232 in the VG and 281 in the CG. There was no statistical difference between the groups when the sex, mean surgery length, and mean bleeding volume were considered. The rate of infection for VG was reduced from 4.98% to 1.29% when compared with CG. Conclusion: The use of vancomycin added to the bone graft in posterior spinal fusion is associated with significantly lower rates of infection.

Objetivo: Avaliar os efeitos profiláticos de vancomicina tópica na infecção do local cirúrgico em pacientes submetidos à fusão lombar instrumentada. Métodos: Estudo retrospectivo de janeiro de 2011 a junho de 2014 com pacientes com estenose sintomática e refratária da coluna lombar e listese que foram submetidos à fusão espinhal com parafuso pedicular. Dois grupos de pacientes foram analisados, em um dos quais se utilizou vancomicina no local cirúrgico: grupo vancomicina (GV) e um grupo controle (GC), sem vancomicina tópica. Os procedimentos profiláticos de rotina foram realizados para ambos os grupos: escovação asséptica das mãos, preparação da pele, terapia antibiótica intravenosa pré-operatória. O GV recebeu uma dose de 1 g de vancomicina misturada ao enxerto ósseo a cada três níveis espinais fundidos, e o grupo consistiu em 232 pacientes. Resultados: Foram analisados 513 pacientes, 232 no GV e 281 no GC. Não houve diferença estatística entre os grupos quando sexo, tempo médio de cirurgia e volume médio de sangramento foram considerados. A taxa de infecção para o GV foi reduzida de 4,98% para 1,29% quando comparado com o GC. Conclusão: O uso de vancomicina adicionada ao enxerto ósseo na fusão espinhal posterior é associado a taxas significantemente mais baixas de infecção.

Objetivo: Evaluar los efectos profilácticos de la vancomicina local en el sitio quirúrgico en pacientes sometidos a cirugía instrumentada de columna lumbar. Métodos: Estudio retrospectivo desde enero 2011 hasta junio 2014 con pacientes con estenosis sintomática y refractaria al tratamiento y listesis intervenidos quirúrgicamente con tornillos pediculares y fusión posterior. Se analizaron dos grupos de pacientes, uno usando vancomicina en el sitio quirúrgico, grupo vancomicina (GV) y el grupo control (GC), sin vancomicina tópica. Los procedimientos de profilaxis de rutina se realizaron en ambos grupos: lavado antiséptico de manos, preparación del sitio quirúrgico, antibioticoterapia endovenosa prequirúrgica.El GV recibió 1 gr. de vancomicina mezclada con el injerto óseo cada 3 niveles espinales fusionados y dicho grupo consistió en 232 pacientes. Resultados: Se analizaron 513 pacientes, 232 en el GV y 281 en el GC. No hubo diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre ambos grupos en cuanto a sexo, tiempo quirúrgico y el volumen promedio de sangrado. La tasa de infección en el GV se redujo del 4,98 a 1,29 cuando se comparó con el GC. Conclusión: El uso de vancomicina agregada al injerto óseo en la fusión espinal posterior es asociado a una significativa disminución de las tasas de infección.