Need of vascular surgeon and comparison of value for anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) in lateral decubitus: Delphi consensus.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Anterior lumbar approaches are recommended for clinical conditions that require interbody stability, spinal deformity corrections or a large fusion area. Anterior lumbar interbody fusion in lateral decubitus position (LatALIF) has gained progressive interest in the last years. The study aims to describe the current habit, the perception of safety and the perceptions of need of vascular surgeons according to experienced spine surgeons by comparing LatALIF to the standard L5-S1 supine ALIF (SupALIF). METHODS: A two-round Delphi method study was conducted to assess the consensus, within expert spine surgeons, regarding the perception of safety, the preoperative planning, the complications management and the need for vascular surgeons by performing anterior approaches (SupALIF vs LatALIF). RESULTS: A total of 14 experts voluntary were involved in the survey. From 82 sentences voted in the first round, a consensus was reached for 38 items. This included the feasibility of safe LatALIF without systematic involvement of vascular surgeon for routine cases (while for revision cases the involvement of the vascular surgeon is an appropriate option) and the appropriateness of standard MRI to evaluate the accessibility of the vascular window. Thirteen sentences reached the final consensus in the second round, whereas no consensus was reached for the remaining 20 statements. CONCLUSIONS: The Delphi study collected the consensus on several points, such as the consolidated required experience on anterior approaches, the accurate study of vascular anatomy with MRI, the management of complications and the significant reduction of the surgical times of the LatALIF if compared to SupALIF in combined procedures. Furthermore, the study group agrees that LatALIF can be performed without the need for a vascular surgeon in routine cases.

The Cleaning and Whitening Ability of Charcoal Containing Toothpastes and Homeopathic Remedies on Human Tooth Enamel

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this research was to determine the cleaning and whitening ability of two charcoal containing toothpastes compared with baking soda, activated charcoal and a hydrogen peroxide containing whitening toothpaste. Tea-stained enamel/dentin slices were mounted dentin side down in cylinders of auto-polymerizing acrylic and subjected to simulated brushin g. Total color, ΔE, and stained area were measured using a reflectance spectrophotometer and ImageJ software using a Hue, Chroma, and Brightness color threshold method; respectively, at prescribed brushing intervals of baseline, months 1, 6 and 12. A two- w ay repeated measure analysis of variance was performed, with included factors being toothpaste group and time. Statistical analys is revealed the included factor of brushing time interval was significant (p<0.05) for both ΔE and stained area. There was significant interaction for both main effects (p<0.05) for the dependent variable of stained area alone. Significant reduction in ΔE values occurred in all groups except Optic White at the 1-month interval. Statistically significant reduction in stained area occurred at 1-mon th for the baking soda group only. Post-hoc Tukey HSD tests revealed there was significant group*time interaction for baking soda at month 1 for the variable stained area. The charcoal containing (Crest 3D with Charcoal and Colgate Essentials) and non-charcoal contai ning toothpastes (Optic White) only produced a significant stain removal at the 6-month interval.

RESUMEN: El propósito de esta investigación fue determinar la capacidad de limpieza y blanqueamiento de dos pastas dentales que contienen carbón en comparación con bicarbonato de sodio, carbón activado y una pasta dental blanqueadora que contiene peróxido de hidrógeno. Los cortes de esmalte/dentina teñidos con té se montaron con el lado de la dentina hacia abajo, en cilindros de acrílico autopolimerizable y se sometieron a un cepillado simulado. El color total, ΔE y el área teñida se midieron usando un espectrofotómetro de reflectancia y el software ImageJ usando un método de umbral de color de tono, croma y brillo; respectivamente, en los intervalos de cepillado prescritos al inicio, los meses 1, 6 y 12. Se realizó un análisis de varianza de medidas repetidas de dos vías, con factores incluidos como el grupo de pasta de dientes y el tiempo. El análisis estadístico reveló que el factor incluido del intervalo de tiempo de cepillado fue significativo (p<0,05) tanto para ΔE como para el área manchada. Hubo interacción significativa para ambos efectos principales (p<0,05) para la variable dependiente del área teñida sola. Se produjo una reducción significativa en los valores de ΔE en todos los grupos excepto Optic White en el intervalo de 1 mes. Se produjo una reducción estadísticamente significativa en el área manchada al mes solo para el grupo de bicarbonato de sodio. Las pruebas post-hoc Tukey HSD revelaron que hubo una interacción significativa entre grupo y tiempo para el bicarbonato de sodio en el mes 1 para el área manchada variable. Las pastas dentales que contenían carbón (Crest 3D con Charcoal y Colgate Essentials) y las pastas de dientes que no contenían carbón (Optic White) solo produjeron una eliminación significativa de las manchas en el intervalo de 6 meses.