Publications (2)4.52 Total impact
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Article: Dermatomal skin rash after lumbar epidural steroid injection.
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ABSTRACT: the objective of this case is to report an occurrence of a skin rash in a dermatomal distribution subsequent to a lumbar transforaminal epidural steroid injection. in this clinical report, a 54-year old woman performed a left L5 transforaminal epidural steroid injection to manage left thigh and foot pain and tingling. She developed a rash in left L5 dermatomal distribution following injection. this is the first described case of a focal dermatomal rash occurring following lumbar transforaminal epidural steroid injection and we wish to remind pain practitioner’s of the possibility of anaphylactic events.The Clinical journal of pain 02/2011; 27(2):163-5. · 3.01 Impact Factor -
Article: Failed anterior lumbar interbody fusion due to incomplete foraminal decompression.
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ABSTRACT: Anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) has gained widespread popularity for spinal disorders requiring fusion. The purpose of this study was to analyze ALIF failures. The medical records of 223 patients treated with ALIF between January 2007 and June 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with unfavorable outcomes, including subsequent posterior decompression at the index level or poor outcomes after ALIF were identified based on clinical and radiological findings. The patients were divided into two groups: an unfavorable group and a favorable group. Preoperative clinical and radiological factors for each group were statistically analyzed. Two hundred of the 223 patients were enrolled in this study. Thirteen (6.5%) of 200 patients resulted in unfavorable outcome. Four patients (2%) of them underwent posterior decompressive surgery. The main cause of unfavorable outcomes was incomplete decompression of the foraminal stenosis. Unfavorable outcomes were obtained in patients with the level of L5-S1 (p = 0.036), higher body mass index (p = 0.048), higher percentage of slippage (p = 0.024), and severe facet arthropathy (p = 0.013). However, there was no difference in preoperative disc height, foraminal size, facet angle, facet tropism, or preoperative visual analog scale for back and leg pain, the Oswestry disability index, symptom duration, and fusion rate between the two groups. Based on these results, posterior decompression and fusion may be considered for obese patients with the level of L5-S1, high-grade spondylolisthesis, or severe facet arthropathy. On the other hand, ALIF can be used an effective alternative treatment in many spinal disorders requiring fusion.Acta Neurochirurgica 11/2010; 153(3):567-74. · 1.52 Impact Factor
