[Comparison of vesselplasty and percutanous kyphoplasty in the treatment of Kümmell disease].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy between vesselplasty and percutanous kyphoplasty (PKP) in the treatment of Kümmell disease. METHODS: The clinical data of patients with Kümmell disease from July 2018 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the different therapeutic methods, the patients were divided into vesselplasty group and PKP group. There were 20 patients in vesselplasty group, including 2 males and 18 females, aged from 54 to 83 years with an average of (67.40±7.44)years, 1 case of T10 fracture, 3 cases of T12 fracture, 9 cases of L1 fractures, 5 cases of L2 fractures and 2 cases of L3 fractures. There were 20 patients in PKP group, including 3 males and 17 females, aged from 56 to 81 with an average of(67.20±7.01) years, 2 cases of T10 fracture, 1 case of T11 fracture, 6 cases of T12 fracture, 10 cases of L1 fracture and 1 case of L3 fracture. Visual analogue scale(VAS), Cobb angle, anterior vertebral height were recorded before operation, 1 day after operation and 1 year after operation. Oswestry Disability Index(ODI) was recorded before operation, 1 month after operation and 1 year after operation. And bone cement leakage rate was compared between two groups after operation. RESULTS: All the patient were followed up for more than 1 year. In vesselplasty group, VAS score was 1.20±0.41, ODI was(13.50±3.10)%, Cobb angle was(17.20±3.12)° and anterior vertebral height was(20.20±1.35) mm at 1 year after operation. In PKP group, VAS score was 1.15±0.40, ODI was (13.20±3.00)%, Cobb angle was (17.10±3.19)° and anterior vertebral height was (20.10±1.37) mm at 1 year after operation. These index was significantly better than pre-operation through intra-group comparison(P<0.05), and there was no statistically difference between the two groups(P>0.05). There were 20 cases (20 vertebrae) in vesselplasty group, of which 1 case had bone cement leakage at the upper endplate, with a leakage rate of 5%(1/20). In PKP group, there were 20 cases (20 vertebrae), 3 cases of upward endplate leakage(3/7), 1 case of downward endplate leakage(1/7), 1 case of leakage to the front of the vertebral body(1/7), 2 cases of leakage to the side of the vertebral body(2/7), with a leakage rate of 35% (7/20). The difference between two groups was statistically significant(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Vesselplasty in the treatment of Kümmell disease can better reduce leakage rate of bone cement and reduce complications.

[Application of spinal surgical robots in minimally invasive surgery for thoracolumbar fracture].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and accuracy of Renaissance robot navigation system in minimally invasive surgery for thoracolumbar fracture. METHODS: The clinical data of patients with thoracolumbar fracture who underwent posterior minimally invasive pedicle screw internal fixation from July 2016 to July 2019 was retrospectively analyzed. And the patients were divided into robot group and artificial group. Robot navigation assisted screw placement was used in robot group, and traditional unarmed screw placement was used in artificial group. There were 20 patients in robot group, including 13 males and 7 females, aged from 23 to 69 years old with an average of(45.05±11.81)years old, one case was T11 fracture, 2 cases were T12, 10 cases were L1, 6 cases were L2 and 1 case was L3. There were 20 patients in artificial group, including 11 males and 9 females, aged from 26 to 65 years old with an average of(43.40±11.22)years old, 2 cases were T11 fractures, 7 cases were T12, 10 cases were L1, and 1 case was L3. The numbers of fluoroscopy, operation time and intraoperative blood loss were observed. The screw position was evaluated by Neo method. RESULTS: A total of 126 screws were implanted in robot group and 124 screws were implanted in artificial group. The operation time, fluoroscopy times, intraoperative blood loss were(115.75±14.26) min, (7.95±0.89) times and (132.50±29.36) ml in robot group and (129.50±10.50) min, (14.40±2.56) times and(182.50±23.14) ml in artificial group, respectively, there was significant difference between the groups(P<0.05). According to Neo classification method, there were 122 screws at grade 0, 4 screws at grade 1 in robot group, and there were 108 screws at grade 0, 9 screws at grade 1 and 7 screws at grade 2 in artificial group. The accuracy of the robot group was better than that of artificial group(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Compared with free hand screw placement, Renaissance robot navigation system can effectively improve the accuracy of pedicle screw placement, reduce the number of fluoroscopy times and intraoperative blood loss, thereby improving the safety of operation.

IgG Index Revisited: Diagnostic Utility and Prognostic Value in Multiple Sclerosis.

Objective: Early and accurate diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) remains a clinical challenge. The main objective is to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of the routinely performed immunoglobulin G (IgG) index for MS patients in the Asian population. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted among a cohort of clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) patients in China with known oligoclonal band (OCB) status and IgG index at baseline. We first evaluated the predictive value of IgG index for OCB status. Secondly, the diagnostic utility and prognostic value of IgG index alone were tested. Lastly, we incorporated IgG index into the 2017 McDonald criteria by replacing OCB with either "IgG index or OCB" (modified criteria 1), "IgG index and OCB" (modified criteria 2), or "IgG index" (modified criteria 3). The diagnostic utility of different criteria was calculated and compared. Results: In a CIS cohort in China (n = 105), IgG index > 0.7 forecasted OCB positivity (X2 = 22.90, P < 0.001). An elevated IgG index was highly prognostic of more clinical relapses [1-year adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.32, P = 0.015; 2-years adjusted OR = 1.69, P = 0.013] and Expanded Disability Status Scale worsening (1-year adjusted OR = 1.76, P = 0.040; 2-years adjusted OR = 1.85, P = 0.032). Under the 2017 McDonald criteria (Positive Likelihood Ratio = 1.54, Negative Likelihood Ratio = 0.56), an IgG index > 0.7 in CIS patients increased the likelihood of developing MS within 2 years, either when OCB status was unknown (Positive Likelihood Ratio = 2.11) or with OCB positivity (Positive Likelihood Ratio = 2.11) at baseline; An IgG index ≤ 0.7, along with a negative OCB, helped rule out the MS diagnosis (Negative Likelihood Ratio = 0.53). Conclusions: IgG index > 0.7 predicts OCB positivity at the initial attack of MS and is prognostic of early disease activity. IgG index serves as an easily-obtainable and accurate OCB surrogate for MS diagnosis in the Asian population.

Influence of different knee and ankle ranges of motion on the elasticity of triceps surae muscles, Achilles tendon, and plantar fascia.

Stiffness is a valuable indicator of the functional capabilities of muscle-tendon-fascia. Twenty healthy subjects participated in this study in which the passive elastic properties of the medial gastrocnemius (MG), lateral gastrocnemius (LG), soleus muscles (SOL), Achilles tendon (AT, at 0 cm, 3 cm and 6 cm proximal to the calcaneus tubercle, corresponding to AT0cm, AT3cm and AT6cm, respectively) and plantar fascia (PF) were quantified when their knee was fully extended or flexed to 90° using shear wave elastography at 25° of dorsiflexion (DF25°), 0° (neutral position) of flexion, and 50° of plantar flexion (PF50°) of the ankle joint. The stiffnesses of the AT, MG, LG, SOL and the fascia with the knee fully extended were significantly higher than those with the knee flexed to 90° (p < 0.05), while the stiffness of the PF showed the opposite relationship (p < 0.05). When the knee was fully extended, the stiffness was higher in the LG than in the MG at PF50° and 0° (p < 0.01), and it was higher in the MG than in the LG at DF25° (p = 0.009). Nevertheless, regardless of the knee angle, the stiffness decreased from AT3cm > AT0cm > AT6cm at PF50° and 0° (p < 0.001), while the stiffness decreased from AT0cm > AT3cm > AT6cm at DF25°. Regardless of the knee and ankle angles, the stiffness of the PF increased in a proximal-to-distal direction (p < 0.001). These insights can be used to gain a more intuitive understanding of the relationships between the elastic properties of the muscle-tendon unit and its function.

Modulation in the elastic properties of gastrocnemius muscle heads in individuals with plantar fasciitis and its relationship with pain.

The objectives of this study were (1) to investigate the passive stiffness of the medial gastrocnemius (MG) and lateral gastrocnemius (LG) in patients with and without plantar fasciitis (PF), (2) to explore the correlation between gastrocnemius stiffness and plantar fascia thickness (PFT) as well as the intensity of pain in patients with PF, (3) to detect optimal cut-off points for stiffness of the MG and LG for identifying patients with PF. Forty patients (mean age = 51.1 years ± 12.9) participated in this study. The elastic properties of the MG and LG were quantified using shear wave elastography ultrasound. The thickness of the plantar fascia was measured by B-mode imaging. The intensity of pain was assessed using a visual analogue scale. The results showed that when the ankle was in the relaxed position, patients with PF had increased passive stiffness in the MG (P < 0.05) but not in the LG. Significant correlations were found between pain and the stiffness of the MG (middle, distal; all P-values < 0.05) and no correlation was observed between pain and PFT (P = 0.416). The initial cut-off point for the stiffness of the MG was 29.08 kPa when the ankle was in the relaxed position. The findings from the present study show that an increase in muscle stiffness is not the same in the individual muscles of the gastrocnemius muscle. Traditional treatment of the whole gastrocnemius muscle might not be targeted at the tight muscle.

Applications of the scoliosis width-to-length ratio for guiding selection of the surgical approaches of degenerative lumbar scoliosis.

BACKGROUND: There does not exist a comprehensive parameter for guiding selection of short or long segment fusion for degenerative lumbar scoliosis (DLS). The aim of our study was to investigate the applications of the width-to-length ratio in guiding selection of the surgical approaches for DLS. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed of 142 patients with DLS who underwent operative treatments from July 2000 to January 2012. The scoliosis width-to-length ratios were measured and used as a grouping criterion of surgical approaches. The Oswestry disability index (ODI) was used to evaluate the clinical outcomes. Radiological parameters such as Cobb's angle of main curve, Cobb's angle of compensatory curve were all measured. RESULTS: For patients with width-to-length ratio less than 0.36, the short segment group had better short-term postoperative outcomes with regard to Cobb's angle of main curve, Cobb's angle of compensatory curve and ODI scores compared to the long segment group. However, for patients with width-to-length ratio greater than 0.36, the postoperative outcomes for the long segment group were better compared to the short segment group. CONCLUSIONS: The scoliosis width-to-length ratio can provide a comprehensive preoperative assessment of the severity of the DLS and guiding selection of a therapeutic treatment regimen. Further studies with a larger number of samples and longer term of follow up are warranted.

Interrupted reperfusion reduces the activation of NADPH oxidase after cerebral I/R injury.

Interrupted reperfusion reduces ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. This study was designed to determine whether NADPH oxidase participates in the neural protection against global I/R injury after interrupted reperfusion. Mice were randomly divided into five groups: sham (sham-operated), I/R (20-min global I/R), RR (I/R+interrupted reperfusion), Apo (I/R+apocynin administration), and RR+Apo. Behavioral tests (pole test, beam walking, and Morris water maze) and Nissl staining were undertaken in all five groups; superoxide levels, expression of gp91(phox) and p47(phox), p47(phox) translocation, and Rac1 activation were measured in the sham, I/R, and RR groups. The motor coordination, bradykinesia, and spatial learning and memory, as well as the neuron survival rates, were better in the RR, Apo, and RR+Apo groups than in the I/R group. The NADPH oxidase-dependent superoxide levels, p47(phox) and gp91(phox) expression, p47(phox) translocation, and Rac1 activation were lower in the RR group than in the I/R group. In conclusion, the neural protective effect of interrupted reperfusion is at least partly mediated by decreasing the expression and assembly of NADPH oxidase and the levels of NADPH oxidase-derived superoxide. The most striking reduction Rac1-GTP in the RR group suggests that interrupted reperfusion also acts on the activation of assembled NADPH oxidase by reducing the availability of Rac1-GTP.

[Clinical application of atlantoaxial pedicle screw internal fixation for treatment of atlantoaxial dislocation].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical effect of atlantoaxial pedicle screw internal fixation for treatment of atlantoaxial dislocation. METHODS: Sixteen patients with atlantoaxial dislocation were treated from Dec. 2005 to June 2007, included 10 males and 6 females, aged from 38 to 45 years old (means 40.5 years). Among them 12 patients combined with nerve injury, according to ASIA grade: there were 3 cases in grade B, 5 cases in grade C, 4 cases in grade D. All patients received preoperative CT, radiograph and skull traction. Intraoperative posterior approach general spine pedicle screw-rod orthopaedics fixation system used and iliac bone block were implanted in space of posterior atlantal arch and axial vertebral plate. The outcome and complications were observed in the near future. RESULTS: There was no vascular or neural injury found. The patients were followed up for 12 to 24 months (means 18 months). All head pain, acid storm symptoms were improved after operation. According to the Odom's clinical efficacy evaluation standard, 12 cases were excellent, 4 were good. Eleven cases of 12 with nerve injury recovered significantly. By ASIA classification: 1 cases was in grade B, 2 cases were in grade C, 5 cases were in grade D, 4 cases were in grade E. No looseness or breakage of screw occurred. Bony fusion was achieved in all cases. CONCLUSION: Posterior approach atlantoaxial pedicle screw internal fixation have the advantages of direct screw placement, short-segment fusion, intraoperative reduction, fixation reliable, high fusion rate, and it can restablish the upper cervical vertebrae stability and help to recover the spinal cord and nerve function.

[Clinical curative effect of the treatment of the disease of vertebral column by the arc-track private lock pedicle orthopaedics fixation system (ALPF II)].

OBJECTIVE: To approach the clinical curative effect of treatment of the disease of vertebral column by the arc-track private lock pedicle orthopedics fixation system (ALPF II). METHODS: Eighty-six cases were treated by useing ALPF II. The average age of the cases was 36.8 years (range from 18 to 69 years),the male was 39 cases and the female was 37 cases. The results were evaluated and all the cases were followed-up. RESULTS: All the patients were followed-up for 9 to 30 months. The amelioration of patients nerve function,spinal motion, low back pain and leg pain was 94.1%, 65.9%, 92.1% and 87.4% respectively. The height of anterior and posterior border after operation were improved greatly than that before operation (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). The X-ray films showed that the angle of kyphosis was also improved significantly (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: To treat spinal column disease, ALPF II is a kind of operation safety simple, easy control, reset good, curative effect credibility, the complications little of treatment method.

[Identification of a missense mutation in SEDL gene from a Chinese family with X-linked spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda].

OBJECTIVE: To identify the SEDL gene mutation in a Chinese family with X-linked spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda (SEDL) and to establish a genotyping assay for rapid diagnosis of this X-linked recessive disorder. METHODS: Clinical diagnoses were made based on physical examination, radiological examination and pedigree analysis for this family. Four primer pairs flanking the SEDL exons 3-6 including their exon/intron boundaries were designed. A rapid genotyping assay based on denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) was established to screen the point mutations of the SEDL gene. Genomic DNA was extracted by standard methods from 18 members in the three generations of the pedigree and subjected to PCR-denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (PCR-DHPLC) assay followed by direct DNA sequencing. RESULTS: A c.218C>T mutation in exon 4 of the SEDL gene, which resulted in a substitution of serine 218 with leucine, was identified in this family. Among the 18 members, 3 patients, 5 obligate female carriers and 2 unmarried young females were found to have the missense mutation, and other 8 healthy individuals were not detected to carry the mutation, in which genotype-phenotype correlations were well established in each member investigated in this family. CONCLUSION: A c.218C>T missense mutation in the SEDL gene was firstly reported in Chinese population and the results of this study expand the spectrum of SEDL mutations. The PCR-DHPLC assay is a useful tool to rapidly detect the SEDL mutation in clinical and prenatal diagnosis.