ABSTRACT
Objective To explore the efficacy and safety of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion assisted with microscope.Methods Thirty-seven patients with cervical spondylosis were included to be retrospectively ana lyzed,including 21 males and 16 females.All these patients had accepted anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) assisted with microscope from October,2015 to February,2018,and they were aged from 22 to 77 years old (51.5±6.2 years on the average).In these patients,30 cases were operated on single segment,6 cases were operated on double segments,and 1 case was operated on 3 segments.Among all the patients,15 patients of which (40.54%) had cervical spondylotic myelopathy and 22 patients of which (59.46%) sufferered from cervical spondylotic radicu lopathy.All the operations were performed with a conventional transverse anterior cervical incisions,an intervertebral distractor was placed.The decompression was completed under the microscope,and the fixation was performed under direct vision.Moreover,the operative time,intraoperative blood loss and surgery-related complications were recorded.Follow-up was carried out at different times,including 7 days,1 month,3 months,6 months and every year after operation.Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score was used to calculate the rate of improvement in neurological function,which can evaluate the clinical efficacy.And cervical dysfunction index (NDI) was used to assess cervical function.Results All patients in this group underwent successful decompression under the microscope.The operation time was 90-160 min,with an average of (110.67±36.42) min;The intraoperative blood loss was 20-110 ml,with an average of (36.00±29.11) ml.All patients were followed-up for 12-31 months,with an average of (15.2±4.7) months.The JOA score improved from 8.37±3.26 preoperatively to 15.96 ± 1.50 at the last follow-up,and its difference had signifi cance in statistics (t=8.592,P=0.000).Neurological function improvement rate could be graded:excellent in 31 cases and good in 6 cases,the excellent and good rate was 100%;NDI was reduced from 19.01 ± 6.47 preoperatively to 5.81 ± 2.58 at the last follow-up,with statistical significant difference (t=5.127,P=0.000).During the follow-up,1 screw was found loosened and slightly withdrawn in 1 female patient at 3 months after operation,of whom had not obvious discomfort.The patient was continuously observed and there was no screw withdrawal again.Moreover,there were no complications such as cerebrospinal fluid leakage,hoarseness and difficulty in swallowing.Conclusion Microscope-assisted ACDF can provide safe and adequate decompression without significantly extending the operation time,which is satisfactory in clinical results.Even in some cases of 1 or 2 segments of intervertebral disc nucleus prolapse,it is possible to avoid a more traumatic ACDF.And it is worthy of clinical promotion.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:Atorvastatin has been shown to reduce bone loss and fracture, but its effects on implant osseointegration remain unknown. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effects of atorvastatin on implant osseointegration in osteoporotic rats and the underlying mechanisms. METHODS:Forty-eight Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into sham-surgery, ovariectomy, and atorvastatin (10 and 20 mg/kg per day) treatment groups, respectively. Al rats received ovariectomy and implant surgery except those in the sham-surgery group. Bone mineral density of the lumbar vertebra, osseointegration ratio and pul-out strength of implants were measured after 12-week treatment.Levels of bone formation and resorption markers in osteoblasts treated with atorvastatin were determined by ELISA. Wnt pathway-relatedgene expression was detected by RT-PCR. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Bone mineral density, osseointegration ratio and pul-out strength of implants were significantly increased in 20 mg/kg per day of atorvastatin treatment group compared with ovariectomy group (P< 0.05). Levels of alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcinand osteoprotegerinwere significantly increased in osteoblasts treated with atorvastatinin vitro(P<0 .05), and the level of osteoclast differentiation factor RANKL was significantly inhibited (P< 0.05). Meanwhile, atorvastatin significantly promoted the mRNA expression of low-density lipoprotein associated protein 5and β-catenin, and inhibited the mRNA expression of dickkopfWnt signal pathway inhibitor 1and sclerostin. Our results suggest that atorvastatin promotes implant osseointegration in osteoporotic rats by activating Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Though there were many experiments addressing repairing osteochondral defects before, faulty restoration occurred at coupling interfaces. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility of repairing of osteochondral composite defects in rabbit knees with animal-origin osteochondral scaffold combined with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs)/chondrocytes.METHODS: New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into the experimental, control and blank groups and prepared for unilateral knee joint osteochondral defects. Animal-origin osteochondral scaffold combined with BMSCs/chondrocytes, animal-origin osteochondral scaffold and no material was implanted to repair the defects in the experimental, control and blank groups, respectively. Healing condition was evaluated by gross observation, hematoxylin-eosin staining, and toluidine blue staining at 4, 8, and 12 weeks after operation. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: At 12 weeks after operation, gross observation showed the defects were repaired completely without local depression and the regenerated tissues were fused with surrounding tissues in the experimental group. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and toluidine blue staining revealed that there were many new hyaline cartilages in the cartilage defects in which columnar cells were lined well and cartilage lacuna was obviously, also, there were many bony tissues in the bone defects. The regeneration cartilage, the underlying subchondral bone and host bone were coupled completely. The toluidine blue positive rate and histologic scores of the experimental group were superior to those of the control and blank groups (P < 0.05). It is demonstrated that animal-origin osteochondral scaffold combined with BMSCs/chondrocytes is an ideal method to repair defects between cartilage and the underlying subchondral bone.