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ABSTRACT: OBJECT Numerous techniques have been historically used for occipitocervical fusion with varied results. The purpose of this study was to examine outcomes of various surgical techniques used in patients with various disease states to elucidate the most efficacious method of stabilization of the occipitocervical junction. METHODS A literature search of peer-reviewed articles was performed using PubMed and CINAHL/Ovid. The key words "occipitocervical fusion," "occipitocervical fixation," "cervical instrumentation," and "occipitocervical instrumentation" were used to search for relevant articles. Thirty-four studies were identified that met the search criteria. Within these studies, 799 adult patients who underwent posterior occipitocervical fusion were analyzed for radiographic and clinical outcomes including fusion rate, time to fusion, neurological outcomes, and the rate of adverse events. RESULTS No articles stronger than Class IV were identified in the literature. Among the patients identified within the cited articles, the use of posterior screw/rod instrumentation constructs were associated with a lower rate of postoperative adverse events (33.33%) (p < 0.0001), lower rates of instrumentation failure (7.89%) (p < 0.0001), and improved neurological outcomes (81.58%) (p < 0.0001) when compared with posterior wiring/rod, screw/plate, and onlay in situ bone grafting techniques. The surgical technique associated with the highest fusion rate was posterior wiring and rods (95.9%) (p = 0.0484), which also demonstrated the shortest fusion time (p < 0.0064). Screw/rod techniques also had a high fusion rate, fusing in 93.02% of cases. When comparing outcomes of surgical techniques depending on the disease status, inflammatory diseases had the lowest rate of instrumentation failure (0%) and the highest rate of neurological improvement (90.91%) following the use of screw/rod techniques. Occipitocervical fusion performed for the treatment of tumors by using screw/rod techniques had the lowest fusion rate (57.14%) (p = 0.0089). Traumatic causes of occipitocervical instability had the highest percentage of pain improvement with the use of screw/plates (100% improvement) (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Based on the existing literature, techniques that use screw/rod constructs in occipitocervical fusion are associated with very favorable outcomes in all categories assessed for all disease processes. For patients requiring occipitocervical arthrodesis for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, screw/rod constructs are associated with the most favorable outcomes, while posterior wiring and onlay in situ bone grafting is associated with the least favorable outcomes. Occipitocervical arthrodesis performed for the diagnosis of tumor is associated with the lowest rate of successful arthrodesis using screw/rod techniques, while posterior wiring and rods have the highest rate of arthrodesis. The nonspecified disease group had the lowest rate of surgical adverse events and the highest rate of neurological improvement.
Journal of neurosurgery. Spine 07/2010; 13(1):5-16. · 1.61 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Charcot spinal arthropathy is a relatively rare, destructive process characterized by a cycle of progressive deformity, destruction, and worsening instability as a result of repetitive trauma and inflammation. It may result from nontraumatic as well as traumatic causes. Historically, patients with severe symptomatic instability have been successfully treated with combined anterior and posterior fusion techniques. The long-term outcomes and potential complications, however, have not been well reported. The authors report on 2 such cases of Charcot spinal arthropathy treated surgically, one with a traumatic and one with a nontraumatic etiology. They include the unique pitfalls encountered while treating these patients, as well as their surgical treatments, complications, and long-term results.
Journal of Neurosurgery Spine 09/2009; 11(3):365-8. · 1.53 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Purpose of review: Rigid posterior occipital cervical fixation and fusion are essential in cases of occipitocervical instability. Instability of the occipitocervical junction can lead to compression of the spinal cord and medulla, which may result in pain, cranial nerve dysfunction, paresis and paralysis, respiratory distress, or even sudden death. Although the majority of the patients of occipitocervical instability require operative stabilization, the complications of surgery can be serious. Instrumentation techniques, bone grafting, and imaging have evolved over the years. The purpose of this review is to describe the recent evolution in techniques of occipitocervical fusion and provide a description of our preferred method of fixation.
Recent findings: Plate–rod–screw constructs have become more versatile, more stable, and less complicated. Improved independent occipital plate systems allow for bilateral contoured rod fixation from the plate to the cervical spine. Current instrumentation systems can accommodate a wide range of anatomical variation.
Summary: Posterior occipitocervical fixation techniques have significantly evolved to modern, advanced rod–screw-independent occipital plate systems. Current implants allow for stable fixation, higher fusion rates, and improved clinical results. Modern techniques require a thorough understanding of spinal anatomy. Advances in spinal imaging have improved the safety and efficacy of complicated instrumentation techniques.
Current Orthopaedic Practice 07/2008; 19(4):398–406.
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ABSTRACT: Despite numerous attempts at classifying thoracolumbar spinal injuries, there remains no consensus on a single unifying algorithm of management. The ideal system should provide diagnostic and prognostic information, exhibit adequate reliability and validity and be easily applicable to clinical practice. The purpose of this study is to assess the reliability and validity of two novel classification systems for thoracolumbar fractures - the Thoracolumbar Injury Severity Score (TLISS) and the Thoracolumbar Injury Classification and Severity Score (TLICS) - and also to discuss potential efforts towards research in the future. MATEREIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-one patients with thoracolumbar fractures were prospectively assessed by surgeons with different levels of training and experience (attending orthopedic surgeon, attending neurosurgeon, spine fellows, senior level and junior level residents) at a single institution. Plain radiographs, CT and MRI imaging were used to classify these injuries using the TLISS system. Seven months later, 25 consecutive injuries were prospectively assessed with the TLISS and TLICS systems. Unweighted Cohen's kappa coefficients and Spearman's correlation values were calculated to assess inter-observer reliability and validity at each point in time.
For both the TLISS and TLICS algorithms, the inter-rater kappa statistics for all of the subgroups demonstrated moderate-to-substantial reliability (0.45-0.74), although there were no significant differences among the shared subgroups. The kappa score of the TLISS system was greater than that of the TLICS system for injury mechanism/ morphology. Correlation values were also greater across all subgroups (P ≤0.01). Statistically significant improvements in TLISS inter-observer reliability were observed across all TLISS fields (P <0.05). The TLISS and TLICS schemes both demonstrated excellent validity.
The TLISS and TLICS scales both exhibited substantial reliability and validity. However, the TLISS system displayed greater inter-observer correlation than did the TLICS and demonstrated significant improvements in reliability over time.
Indian Journal of Orthopaedics 10/2007; 41(4):322-6. · 0.50 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Background: Despite numerous attempts at classifying thoracolumbar spinal injuries, there remains no consensus on a single unifying algorithm of management. The ideal system should provide diagnostic and prognostic information, exhibit adequate reliability and validity and be easily applicable to clinical practice. The purpose of this study is to assess the reliability and validity of two novel classification systems for thoracolumbar fractures - the Thoracolumbar Injury Severity Score (TLISS) and the Thoracolumbar Injury Classification and Severity Score (TLICS) - and also to discuss potential efforts towards research in the future. Matereials and Methods: Seventy-one patients with thoracolumbar fractures were prospectively assessed by surgeons with different levels of training and experience (attending orthopedic surgeon, attending neurosurgeon, spine fellows, senior level and junior level residents) at a single institution. Plain radiographs, CT and MRI imaging were used to classify these injuries using the TLISS system. Seven months later, 25 consecutive injuries were prospectively assessed with the TLISS and TLICS systems. Unweighted Cohen′s kappa coefficients and Spearman′s correlation values were calculated to assess inter-observer reliability and validity at each point in time. Results: For both the TLISS and TLICS algorithms, the inter-rater kappa statistics for all of the subgroups demonstrated moderate-to-substantial reliability (0.45-0.74), although there were no significant differences among the shared subgroups. The kappa score of the TLISS system was greater than that of the TLICS system for injury mechanism/ morphology. Correlation values were also greater across all subgroups ( P ≤0.01). Statistically significant improvements in TLISS inter-observer reliability were observed across all TLISS fields ( P < 0.05). The TLISS and TLICS schemes both demonstrated excellent validity. Conclusion: The TLISS and TLICS scales both exhibited substantial reliability and validity. However, the TLISS system displayed greater inter-observer correlation than did the TLICS and demonstrated significant improvements in reliability over time.
Indian Journal of Orthopaedics. 01/2007;
