Relief of Low Back Pain After Posterior Decompression for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis.

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to confirm that decompression for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) relieves low back pain (LBP) as adequately as it relieves leg pain and to identify predictors for inadequate LBP relief. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Although decompression for LSS is generally thought to yield worse results for LBP than for leg pain, some studies have reported similar improvements in pain scores between LBP and leg pain. To treat LBP or take measures to prevent inadequate LBP relief, reliable predictors for LBP relief should be identified. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 175 patients who underwent posterior element-preserving decompression and evaluated the relief of LBP and leg pain using numeric rating scales (NRSs). Associations between demographic, clinical, or imaging parameters and LBP relief at 1 and 4 years were analyzed by stepwise linear regression analyses. The imaging parameters included Modic change type 1, disc degeneration, foraminal stenosis, vertebral slipping (within Grade 1), scoliosis (<15°) and lordosis. RESULTS: The mean improvements in LBP and leg pain NRS scores from baseline were 5.22 and 4.70 points (P = 0.064, paired t test) at 1 year and 5.12 and 4.62 points (P = 0.068) at 4 years, respectively. Poor LBP scores at 4 years were significantly associated with long-lasting LBP (beta = 0.31, P < 0.0001) and moderate or severe arm symptoms with cervical spinal cord compression or intramedullary hyperintense signal on T2-weighted MRI (beta = 0.22, P = 0.0014). The imaging parameters of the lumbar spine failed to show clear associations with poor LBP scores at 4 years, although Modic change type 1 showed a significant association with poor LBP scores at 1 year (beta = 0.28, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Posterior decompression relieves LBP as well as leg pain. Long-lasting LBP and concurrent symptomatic cervical myelopathy are important predictors for inadequate LBP relief. There were no reliable imaging parameters predictive of inadequate LBP relief.Level of Evidence: 4.

Expansive Suspension Laminoplasty Using a Spinous Process-Splitting Approach for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: Surgical Technique and Outcomes Over 8 Years of Follow-up.

INTRODUCTION: To maximize the benefits of posterior decompression for severe multilevel lumbar spinal stenosis, we refined the expansive laminoplasty technique using a spinous process-splitting approach. This study tests the hypothesis that the surgical benefit of adequate decompression with posterior element preservation is maintained in the long term, over 8 years of follow-up. METHODS: Fifty-eight patients were followed up yearly for 8 years. Eight patients having nonlumbar spine surgery or Parkinson disease were excluded. The noninferiority of the 8-year versus peak-year outcomes was tested, with margins of 5 points for the Oswestry disability index and 1 point for the numeric rating scales (NRSs). RESULTS: In the 50 patients available for follow-up, the peak values of the mean improvements from baseline within the first 7 years were 35.8, 5.7, 5.9, and 2.8 points for the Oswestry disability index, low back pain NRS, leg pain NRS, and leg numbness NRS, respectively. The 95% lower confidence limits for the differences between the mean improvements from baseline at 8 years and the peak year were within the noninferiority margins for each scale. CONCLUSION: Our technique was associated with substantial improvement from baseline for each scale. The initial improvements in function and symptoms were maintained for 8 years.

Impact of Spinous Process Integrity on Ten to Twelve-Year Outcomes After Posterior Decompression for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: Study of Open-Door Laminoplasty Using a Spinous Process-Splitting Approach.

BACKGROUND: In posterior decompression for lumbar spinal stenosis, preservation of the posterior elements appears to provide patients with long-term favorable outcomes. To confirm this assumption, we evaluated the impact of spinous process integrity, i.e., osseous continuity between the spinous process and the lamina, on short to long-term outcomes. METHODS: As a model for the study of spinous process integrity, we retrospectively reviewed the cases of forty-eight patients who underwent open-door laminoplasty using a spinous process-splitting approach without disrupting attachment sites of the multifidus muscle. In those patients, thirty-nine of the 103 spinous processes achieved spontaneous osseous union with the laminar flap, while the others did not achieve osseous union. The association between the number of ununited spinous processes, as well as baseline characteristics, and the outcomes were analyzed by primary and fully adjusted multivariate linear regression. Outcome measures were the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and a numeric rating scale (NRS) for symptoms at two, four, and ten to twelve years. RESULTS: The number of ununited spinous processes was significantly associated with ten to twelve-year scores for the ODI (ß = 0.24, p = 0.030), low back pain NRS (ß = 0.32, p = 0.030), and leg pain NRS (ß = 0.50, p = 0.0012) in the fully adjusted models, but was not associated with two or four-year scores for each scale. The number of decompression levels was significantly associated with ten to twelve-year scores for low back pain and leg pain NRS in the primary models, but was not retained in the fully adjusted models. CONCLUSIONS: Osseous continuity between the spinous processes and the lamina after posterior decompression of the lumbar spine is important for maintaining the positive surgical benefit. Deleterious effects of osseous discontinuity on the outcomes were obvious at ten to twelve years, but not at two or four years.

Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair With Absorbable Sutures in the Medial-Row Anchors.

PURPOSE: To report the retear rate and retear pattern after double-row arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (DR-ARCR) with the use of absorbable sutures as medial anchor sutures and to address the advantage of the use of absorbable sutures in medial-row anchors. METHODS: Fifty-seven shoulders (22 male and 35 female patients; mean age, 66.1 years) with complete rotator cuff tears treated with DR-ARCR using absorbable mattress sutures as medial-row anchor sutures were included in the study. They included 35 medium, 17 large, and 5 massive tears. For the medial row, medial anchor sutures were replaced with absorbable mattress sutures. High-strength simple sutures were used for the lateral anchors. We evaluated retear patterns by magnetic resonance imaging examinations performed at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year postoperatively. The clinical conditions of all patients preoperatively and 2 years postoperatively were assessed by the University of California, Los Angeles rating scale and the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons shoulder index. RESULTS: A complete retear of the tendon at the footprint was observed in 5 shoulders. Complete discontinuity at the middle of the tendon around the medial-row anchors with a footprint remnant was observed in 1 shoulder. A thinned repaired rotator cuff was observed in 2 shoulders because of a partial retear of the deep layer. The overall retear rate was 14%. From before to after surgery, the University of California, Los Angeles score significantly improved from 18.4 to 32.9 (P < .0001) and the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons index improved from 55.1 to 87.7 (P < .0001). No complications were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The retear rates after DR-ARCR with absorbable sutures as medial-row anchors were 8.8% for complete retears of the tendon at the footprint and 1.7% for complete discontinuity of tendon around the medial-row anchors. This procedure provided a low retear rate around the medial-row anchors. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, therapeutic case series.

Early complications of primary total hip arthroplasty in the supine position with a modified Watson-Jones anterolateral approach.

BACKGROUND: For total hip arthroplasty (THA), minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has been developed to reduce incision length, muscle damage, and a shorter hospital stay. However, reduced exposure of anatomical landmarks may result in technical errors and inferior implant survivorships. The aim of this study was to report the short-term results and clinical complications of primary MIS THA in the supine position. METHODS: A consecutive series of 103 patients who underwent MIS cementless THA with a modified Watson-Jones anterolateral approach (AL) were enrolled. Outcomes data were reviewed at a minimum of 12 months following the procedure. Clinical evaluations were made using the Merle d'Aubigne and Postel hip score. The results of these procedures were retrospectively compared with those of a historical series of 98 total hip arthroplasties that had been performed by the same surgeon with use of a posterolateral approach (PL). RESULTS: In the MIS AL THA group, intraoperative fracture was observed in 6 hips; 3 in greater trochanter and 3 in calcar femoral. One hip was subjected to irrigation because of postoperative infection was suspected. In the PL group, intraoperative fracture was demonstrated in 4 hips in calcar femoral. No postoperative dislocation and no pulmonary embolism or nerve paralysis was observed in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: The MIS AL THA did not show a clinically relevant superior outcome compared with the PL THA. When performing MIS AL THA, special attention should pay for prevention of greater trochanter fracture.

Evaluation of dislocation position in patients with recurrent anterior shoulder dislocation.

BACKGROUND: The usual mechanism of anterior shoulder dislocation is widely believed to be a combination of glenohumeral joint abduction, extension, and external rotation forces, even though no published reports to date have investigated the arm position of anterior shoulder dislocation in detail. Understanding the exact position of anterior shoulder dislocations is important for the management of anterior shoulder instability. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 40 shoulders of 38 patients (32 males, 6 females), aged 28.0 (range, 13-73) years with symptomatic post-traumatic recurrent anterior shoulder instability. While patients were under general anesthesia, but before shoulder-stabilizing surgery, we evaluated the angle of external rotation with 90° elevation in the scapular plane at which the humeral head showed anterior translations over the glenoid rim. RESULTS: The center of anterior instability at 90° elevation in the scapular plane was at 25.9° of external rotation. Anterior translations were detected in the range of 3.4° of internal rotation to 55.1° of external rotation, and no shoulders (except one) showed anterior translation at maximal external rotation. CONCLUSIONS: Gross anterior translation was seen in the middle range of rotation at approximately 25° of external rotation, and anterior translation decreased close to the end of external and internal rotation. Shoulders with grade III translation showed anterior translation in a wider range of rotation, especially in external rotation. These data will help to further our understanding of the management and the prevention of anterior shoulder dislocations.

Characteristic retear patterns assessed by magnetic resonance imaging after arthroscopic double-row rotator cuff repair.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and elucidate retear pattern and its characteristics after surgical repair of the rotator cuff using an arthroscopic double-row suture anchor (DRSA) method. METHODS: Forty-seven patients with complete rotator cuff tears treated by the DRSA method under arthroscopy whose repair condition was assessed by MRI approximately 12 months after the procedure were included in the study. The mean age at treatment was 65 years (range, 42 to 82 years). The mean follow-up period was 26 months (range, 24 to 32 months). RESULT: The repair integrity was classified into 5 groups according to MRI findings. A well-repaired tendon was seen in 34 shoulders. Partial retearing of the deep layer was observed in 2. Partial retearing of the superficial layer around the medial anchors was observed in 3. Complete retearing of the tendon around the medial anchors with a well-preserved footprint was observed in 4. Complete retearing of the tendon from the footprint was observed in 4. The retear patterns involving superficial retearing and complete retearing around the medial anchors were unexpected and unique. These types of retears seem to be characteristic of the DRSA method and were seen in cases with medium-sized tears. The incidence of characteristic retearing was 7 of 47. CONCLUSIONS: Superficial-side partial tearing and complete tearing around the medial-row anchors with a well-repaired tendon on the footprint could be characteristics of the DRSA method. These retear patterns were observed in 7 of 13 retear cases and 7 of 47 cases overall. The retear rate by the characteristic retear was high. Exploring the causes of this retear and preventing it could lead to better clinical results with the DRSA method. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, therapeutic case series.

Painful nonunion of fracture of the entire posterior process of the talus: a case report.

We report a 14-year-old boy in whom isolated nonunion fracture of the posterior process of the talus. He underwent surgical repair with Herbert Whipple screw fixation and plaster immobilization. Osseous union was achieved 3 months after surgery, resulting in the resolution of symptoms and complete functional recovery. To our knowledge, the present report is the first to describe a successful outcome for surgical treatment of painful nonunion of fracture of the entire posterior process of the talus.

Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound accelerates maturation of callus in patients treated with opening-wedge high tibial osteotomy by hemicallotasis.

BACKGROUND: Opening-wedge high tibial osteotomy by hemicallotasis for osteoarthritis in the medial compartment of the knee requires external fixation for a long time, until callus maturation is complete. The aim of this study was to determine if low-intensity pulsed ultrasound would accelerate callus maturation when applied after distraction to limbs treated with opening-wedge high tibial osteotomy by hemicallotasis. METHODS: Twenty-one patients with symmetric grades of osteoarthritis and similar degrees of varus deformity in the two knees underwent bilateral one-stage opening-wedge high tibial osteotomy by hemicallotasis. After completion of distraction, the bone mineral density of the distraction callus was measured. Then, one randomly selected limb was subjected to ultrasound treatment for twenty minutes daily until removal of the external fixator. The contralateral limb was left untreated to serve as the control. After four weeks of treatment, bone mineral density was measured again. RESULTS: During the four-week treatment period, the mean increase in callus bone mineral density was significantly greater in the ultrasound-treated tibiae (0.20 +/- 0.12 g/cm(2)) than in the control tibiae (0.13 +/- 0.10 g/cm(2)) (p = 0.02, unpaired t test). In eighteen patients the increase in the bone mineral density was greater in the ultrasound-treated limb than in the control limb, whereas in three patients the increase was greater in the control limb. CONCLUSIONS: We found that low-intensity pulsed ultrasound applied during the consolidation phase of distraction osteogenesis accelerates callus maturation after opening-wedge high tibial osteotomy by hemicallotasis in elderly patients.

Prostaglandin E1 induces intraosseous hypotension under conditions of normal arterial pressure.

UNLABELLED: The purpose of this study was to investigate the late effects of intravenous infusion of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) on intraosseous pressure (IOP). PGE1 was infused intravenously at 0, 0.1, 0.3 or 1.0 microg/kg/min over 120 min daily for 5 consecutive days into six rabbits each. On the day after the final infusion, mean (SD) change from baseline in IOP of the tibia was 14.5 (22.6), -10.6 (29.6), -29.8 (22.2) and -6.9 (22.5) percent in the groups infused at 0, 0.1, 0.3 and 1.0 microg/kg/min, respectively, being significantly different between the groups infused at 0 and 0.3 microg/kg/min. The mean change from baseline in mean arterial pressure (MAP) was not significantly different between the four groups. There was no significant correlation between percent changes from baseline in IOP and MAP in all the 24 rabbits from the four groups (r = 0.197, P = 0.362 ). In conclusion, IOP decreases following repeated PGE1 infusion independent of MAP change when the dose is appropriate. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Intraosseous hypotension induced under conditions of normal arterial pressure contributes to systemic control of intraoperative bleeding from the bone.

Bone morphogenetic protein signals are required for cartilage formation and differently regulate joint development during skeletogenesis.

The bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) family consists of a large number of members and has diverse biological activities during development. Various tissues express pleural BMP family members, which seem to cooperatively regulate developmental events. Here, multiple BMP signals were inactivated in chondrocytes to clarify the function of BMPs during skeletogenesis. To obtain tissue-specific inactivation, Noggin gene (Nog) was overexpressed in cartilage under the control of a2(XI) collagen gene (Collla2) promoter/enhancer sequences. The resultant transgenic mice lacked most of their cartilaginous components, suggesting that cartilage does not develop without BMP signals. These effects seem to be mediated through down-regulation of Sox9 expression. Conversely, specific BMP signals were activated in the skeleton by targeted expression of Bmp4 in cartilage and the resultant phenotype was compared with that of transgenic mice expressing growth and differentiation factor-5 (GDF-5), another BMP family member. Overactivity of Bmp4 in the skeleton caused an increase of cartilage production and enhanced chondrocyte differentiation, as GDF5 expression did, but it did not disturb joint formation as GDF5 did. During skeletogenesis, unique roles of each BMP may reside in the regulation of joint development. Together with the common effect on the cartilage overproduction by Bmp4 and GDF5 overactivation, loss of cartilage by inactivation of multiple BMPs in Noggin transgenic mice indicates that signals for cartilage production are reinforced by multiple BMPs exclusively. These conclusions may account for the reason why multiple BMPs are coexpressed in cartilage.