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Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and... Jul 2021Thoracic kyphosis is reported to increase with ageing. However, this relationship has not been systematically investigated. Peoples' kyphosis often exceeds 40°, but...
BACKGROUND
Thoracic kyphosis is reported to increase with ageing. However, this relationship has not been systematically investigated. Peoples' kyphosis often exceeds 40°, but 40° is the widely accepted cut-off and threshold for normality. Consequently, patients may be misclassified. Accurate restoration of kyphosis is important to avoid complications following spinal surgery. Therefore, specific reference values are needed. The objective of the review is to explore the relationship between thoracic kyphosis and age, provide normative values of kyphosis for different age groups and investigate the influence of gender and ethnicity.
METHODS
Two reviewers independently conducted a literature search, including seven databases and the Spine Journal, from inception to April 2020. Quantitative observational studies on healthy adults (18 years of age or older) with no known pathologies, and measuring kyphosis with Cobb's method, a flexicurve, or a kyphometer, were included. Study selection, data extraction, and study quality assessment (AQUA tool) were performed independently by two reviewers. The authors were contacted if clarifications were necessary. Correlation analysis and inferential statistics were performed (Microsoft Excel). The results are presented narratively. A modified GRADE was used for evidence quality assessment.
RESULTS
Thirty-four studies (24 moderate-quality, 10 high-quality) were included (n = 7633). A positive moderate correlation between kyphosis and age was found (Spearman 0.52, p < 0.05, T5-T12). Peoples' kyphosis resulted greater than 40° in 65% of the cases, and it was significantly smaller in individuals younger than 40 years old (x < 40) than in those older than 60 years old (x > 60) 75% of the time (p < 0.05). No differences between genders were found, although a greater kyphosis angle was observed in North Americans and Europeans.
CONCLUSION
Kyphosis increases with ageing, varying significantly between x < 40 and x > 60. Furthermore, kyphosis appears to be influenced by ethnicity, but not gender. Peoples' thoracic sagittal curvature frequently exceeds 40°.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
The review protocol was devised following the PRISMA-P Guidelines, and it was registered on PROSPERO ( CRD42020175058 ) before study commencement.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Aged; Female; Healthy Aging; Healthy Volunteers; Humans; Kyphosis; Male; Middle Aged; Observational Studies as Topic; Radiography, Thoracic; Reference Values; Statistics, Nonparametric; Thoracic Vertebrae; Young Adult
PubMed: 34243795
DOI: 10.1186/s13018-021-02592-2 -
Medicine Oct 2018To assess the safety and efficacy of percutaneous short-segment pedicle instrumentation compared with conventionally open short-segment pedicle instrumentation and... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
To assess the safety and efficacy of percutaneous short-segment pedicle instrumentation compared with conventionally open short-segment pedicle instrumentation and provide recommendations for using these procedures to treat thoracolumbar fractures.
METHODS
The Medline database, Cochrane database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Clinical Trial Register, and Embase were searched for articles published. The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs that compared percutaneous short-segment pedicle instrumentation to open short-segment pedicle instrumentation and provided data on safety and clinical effects were included. Demographic characteristics, clinical outcomes, radiological outcomes, and adverse events were manually extracted from all of the selected studies. Methodological quality of included studies using Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies scale and Cochrane collaboration's tool for assessing the risk of bias by 2 reviewers independently.
RESULTS
Nine studies encompassing 433 patients met the inclusion criteria. Subgroup meta-analyses were performed according to the study design. The pooled results showed there were significant differences between the 2 techniques in short- and long-term visual analog scale, intraoperative blood loss, operative time, postoperative draining loss, hospital stay, and incision size, although there were no significant differences in postoperative radiological outcomes, Oswestry Disability Index, hospitalization cost, intraoperative fluoroscopy time, and adverse events.
CONCLUSION
Percutaneous short-segment pedicle instrumentation in cases with achieve satisfactory results, could replace in many cases extensive open surgery and not increased related complications. However, further high-quality RCTs are needed to assess the long-term outcome of patients between 2 techniques.
Topics: Blood Loss, Surgical; Clinical Trials as Topic; Fracture Fixation, Internal; Humans; Length of Stay; Lumbar Vertebrae; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; Operative Time; Pain Measurement; Pedicle Screws; Spinal Fractures; Thoracic Vertebrae
PubMed: 30313040
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000012535 -
Pain Physician 2012There is a paucity of literature on the use of epidural injections for the treatment of chronic mid and upper back pain due to disc herniation and radiculitis, axial or... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
There is a paucity of literature on the use of epidural injections for the treatment of chronic mid and upper back pain due to disc herniation and radiculitis, axial or discogenic pain, spinal stenosis, post surgery syndrome, and post thoracotomy pain syndrome.
STUDY DESIGN
A systematic review of therapeutic thoracic epidural injection therapy for chronic mid and upper back pain.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this systematic review is to determine the effects of thoracic interlaminar epidural injections with or without steroids, with or without fluoroscopy, and for various conditions including disc herniation and radiculitis, axial or discogenic pain, spinal stenosis, post thoracic surgery syndrome, and post thoracotomy pain syndrome.
METHODS
The available literature on thoracic interlaminar epidural injections with or without steroids in managing various types of chronic mid and upper back pain was reviewed. The quality assessment and clinical relevance criteria utilized were the Cochrane Musculoskeletal Review Group criteria as utilized for interventional techniques for randomized trials and the criteria developed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale criteria for observational studies. The level of evidence was classified as good, fair, or limited (or poor) based on the quality of evidence developed by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). Data sources included relevant literature identified through searches of PubMed and EMBASE from 1966 to March 2012, and manual searches of the bibliographies of known primary and review articles.
OUTCOME MEASURES
The primary outcome measure was pain relief (short-term relief = up to 6 months and long-term > 6 months). Secondary outcome measures were improvement in functional status, psychological status, return to work, and reduction in opioid intake.
RESULTS
For this review, 17 studies were identified, including studies examining adverse reactions. Only 2 studies were included: one randomized trial and one non-randomized or observational study. The results of this systematic review evaluating the effectiveness of thoracic epidural injections with or without steroids in managing chronic thoracic pain shows fair evidence with one randomized trial in patients with various causes; whereas the evidence is limited based on one non-randomized study evaluating chronic pain in post thoracotomy syndrome.
LIMITATIONS
The limitations of this study include paucity of evidence.
CONCLUSION
The evidence based on this systematic review for thoracic epidural injection in treating chronic thoracic pain is considered fair and limited for post thoracotomy pain.
Topics: Adrenal Cortex Hormones; Adult; Anesthetics, Local; Back Pain; Female; Humans; Injections, Epidural; Male; Thoracic Vertebrae
PubMed: 22828696
DOI: No ID Found -
Chiropractic & Manual Therapies Sep 2023Spinal manipulation (SM) is a recommended and effective treatment for musculoskeletal disorders. Biomechanical (kinetic) parameters (e.g. preload/peak force, rate of... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Spinal manipulation (SM) is a recommended and effective treatment for musculoskeletal disorders. Biomechanical (kinetic) parameters (e.g. preload/peak force, rate of force application and thrust duration) can be measured during SM, quantifying the intervention. Understanding these force-time characteristics is the first step towards identifying possible active ingredient/s responsible for the clinical effectiveness of SM. Few studies have quantified SM force-time characteristics and with considerable heterogeneity evident, interpretation of findings is difficult. The aim of this study was to synthesise the literature describing force-time characteristics of manual SM.
METHODS
This scoping literature review is reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) statement. Databases were searched from inception to October 2022: MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase, CINAHL, ICL, PEDro and Cochrane Library. The following search terms and their derivatives were adapted for each platform: spine, spinal, manipulation, mobilization or mobilisation, musculoskeletal, chiropractic, osteopathy, physiotherapy, naprapathy, force, motor skill, biomechanics, dosage, dose-response, education, performance, psychomotor, back, neck, spine, thoracic, lumbar, pelvic, cervical and sacral. Data were extracted and reported descriptively for the following domains: general study characteristics, number of and characteristics of individuals who delivered/received SM, region treated, equipment used and force-time characteristics of SM.
RESULTS
Of 7,607 records identified, 66 (0.9%) fulfilled the eligibility criteria and were included in the analysis. Of these, SM was delivered to the cervical spine in 12 (18.2%), the thoracic spine in 40 (60.6%) and the lumbopelvic spine in 19 (28.8%) studies. In 6 (9.1%) studies, the spinal region was not specified. For SM applied to all spinal regions, force-time characteristics were: preload force (range: 0-671N); peak force (17-1213N); rate of force application (202-8700N/s); time to peak thrust force (12-938ms); and thrust duration (36-2876ms).
CONCLUSIONS
Considerable variability in the reported kinetic force-time characteristics of SM exists. Some of this variability is likely due to differences in SM delivery (e.g. different clinicians) and the measurement equipment used to quantify force-time characteristics. However, improved reporting in certain key areas could facilitate more sophisticated syntheses of force-time characteristics data in the future. Such syntheses could provide the foundation upon which dose-response estimates regarding the clinical effectiveness of SM are made.
Topics: Humans; Biomechanical Phenomena; Bone Diseases; Cervical Vertebrae; Chiropractic; Manipulation, Spinal
PubMed: 37705030
DOI: 10.1186/s12998-023-00512-1 -
Pain Physician 2008Chronic mid back and upper back pain caused by thoracic facet joints has been reported in 34% to 48% of the patients based on the responses to controlled diagnostic... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Chronic mid back and upper back pain caused by thoracic facet joints has been reported in 34% to 48% of the patients based on the responses to controlled diagnostic blocks. Systematic reviews have established moderate evidence for controlled comparative local anesthetic blocks of thoracic facet joints in the diagnosis of mid back and upper back pain, moderate evidence for therapeutic thoracic medial branch blocks, and limited evidence for radiofrequency neurotomy of therapeutic facet joint nerves.
OBJECTIVES
To determine the clinical utility of diagnostic and therapeutic thoracic facet joint interventions in diagnosing and managing chronic upper back and mid back pain.
STUDY DESIGN
Systematic review of diagnostic and therapeutic thoracic facet joint interventions.
METHODS
Review of the literature for utility of facet joint interventions in diagnosing and managing facet joint pain was performed according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) criteria for diagnostic studies and observational studies and the Cochrane Musculoskeletal Review Group criteria as utilized for interventional techniques for randomized trials. The level of evidence was classified as Level I, II, or III based on the quality of evidence developed by United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) for therapeutic interventions. Recommendations were based on the criteria developed by Guyatt et al. Data sources included relevant literature of the English language identified through searches of Medline and EMBASE from 1966 to July 2008 and manual searches of bibliographies of known primary and review articles. Results of the analysis were performed for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions separately.
OUTCOME MEASURES
For diagnostic interventions, studies must have been performed utilizing controlled local anesthetic blocks. For therapeutic interventions, the primary outcome measure was pain relief (short-term relief = up to 6 months and long-term relief > 6 months) with secondary outcome measures of improvement in functional status, psychological status, return to work, and reduction in opioid intake.
RESULTS
Based on the controlled comparative local anesthetic blocks, the evidence for the diagnosis of thoracic facet joint pain is Level I or II-1. The evidence for therapeutic thoracic medial branch blocks is Level I or II-1. The recommendation is IA or 1B/strong for diagnostic and therapeutic medial branch blocks.
CONCLUSION
The evidence for the diagnosis of thoracic facet joint pain with controlled comparative local anesthetic blocks is Level I or II-1. The evidence for therapeutic facet joint interventions is Level I or II-1 for medial branch blocks. Recommendation is 1A or 1B/strong for diagnostic and therapeutic medial branch blocks.
Topics: Anesthetics, Local; Back Pain; Clinical Trials as Topic; Databases, Bibliographic; Humans; Nerve Block; Pain Measurement; Thoracic Vertebrae; Treatment Outcome; Zygapophyseal Joint
PubMed: 18850026
DOI: No ID Found -
European Spine Journal : Official... Feb 2012With the advances and improvement of computer-assisted surgery devices, computer-guided pedicle screws insertion has been applied to the lumbar, thoracic and cervical... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Review
INTRODUCTION
With the advances and improvement of computer-assisted surgery devices, computer-guided pedicle screws insertion has been applied to the lumbar, thoracic and cervical spine. The purpose of the present study was to perform a systematic review of all available prospective evidence regarding pedicle screw insertion techniques in the thoracic and lumbar human spine.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We considered all prospective in vivo clinical studies in the English literature that assessed the results of different pedicle screw placement techniques (free-hand technique, fluoroscopy guided, computed tomography (CT)-based navigation, fluoro-based navigation). MEDLINE, OVID, and Springer databases were used for the literature search covering the period from January 1950 until May 2010.
RESULTS
26 prospective clinical studies were eventually included in the analysis. These studies included in total 1,105 patients in which 6,617 screws were inserted. In the studies using free-hand technique, the percentage of the screws fully contained in the pedicle ranged from 69 to 94%, with the aid of fluoroscopy from 28 to 85%, using CT navigation from 89 to 100% and using fluoroscopy-based navigation from 81 to 92%. The screws positioned with free-hand technique tended to perforate the cortex medially, whereas the screws placed with CT navigation guidance seemed to perforate more often laterally.
CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, navigation does indeed exhibit higher accuracy and increased safety in pedicle screw placement than free-hand technique and use of fluoroscopy.
Topics: Bone Screws; Fluoroscopy; Humans; Lumbar Vertebrae; Orthopedic Procedures; Prospective Studies; Surgery, Computer-Assisted; Thoracic Vertebrae
PubMed: 21901328
DOI: 10.1007/s00586-011-2011-3 -
European Journal of Trauma and... Jun 2022The aim of this systematically review is to detect differences between fractures located at the mid-thoracic spine compared to fractures of the thoracolumbar junction... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE
The aim of this systematically review is to detect differences between fractures located at the mid-thoracic spine compared to fractures of the thoracolumbar junction (TLJ) and the lumbar spine in osteoporotic vertebral body fractures.
METHODS
This review is based on articles retrieved by a systematic search in the PubMed and Web of Science database for publications regarding osteoporotic fractures of the thoracolumbar spine with respect to the fracture location. Differences in prevalence, cause of fracture, fracture healing, and outcomes between the mid-thoracic spine and the TLJ and the lumbar spine were considered.
RESULTS
Altogether, 238 articles could be retrieved from the literature search. A total of 222 articles were excluded. Thus, 16 remaining original articles were included in this systematic review comprising the topics prevalence, bone mineral density and regional blood flow, biomechanics, subsequent fractures, and outcome, respectively. The overall level of evidence of the vast majority of studies was moderate to low.
CONCLUSION
Several differences between osteoporotic fractures of the mid-thoracic spine compared to the TLJ and the lumbar spine could be identified. Thereby, osteoporotic mid-thoracic fractures seem to be particularly more related to frailty without a history of traumatic injury compared to osteoporotic fractures of the TLJ and the lumbar spine. Additionally, the presence of severe mid-thoracic fractures predicts subsequent fractures of the hip. In contrast, subsequent fractures of the spine are less likely.
Topics: Bone Density; Humans; Lumbar Vertebrae; Osteoporotic Fractures; Spinal Fractures; Thoracic Vertebrae; Vertebral Body
PubMed: 34590172
DOI: 10.1007/s00068-021-01792-z -
Journal of Clinical Medicine Research Apr 2023Osteoarticular infections (OAIs) caused by () are a rare clinical entity. This study aimed to review all published cases of OAI due to A systematic review of PubMed,... (Review)
Review
Osteoarticular infections (OAIs) caused by () are a rare clinical entity. This study aimed to review all published cases of OAI due to A systematic review of PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library was conducted to report the demographic and clinical characteristics, microbiological data, management, and outcome of OAIs caused by in the adult population. A total of 16 studies reporting on 16 patients were included in this review. Eight patients had arthritis and eight patients had osteomyelitis/discitis. The most reported risk factors were immunosuppression, poor dental hygiene/dental infections, and recent gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy. Five cases of arthritis occurred in a native joint while three patients had prostheses. The potential source of infection was documented in more than half of the cases (56%) (most commonly odontogenic and GI sources (25% and 18%, respectively). The knee and hip joints were the most frequently affected joints in patients with arthritis, while the thoracic vertebrae were the most common sites for osteomyelitis/discitis. The blood cultures were positive in three patients with arthritis (37.5%) and five patients with osteomyelitis/discitis (62.5%). Associated endovascular infection was found in five patients with bacteremia. Contiguous spread (adjacent mediastinitis) was documented in two patients with sternal osteomyelitis and thoracic vertebral osteomyelitis. Surgical interventions were performed for 12 patients (75%). Most strains of were susceptible to penicillin and cephalosporins. All patients with reported outcomes had achieved complete recovery. is an emerging pathogen for OAIs in certain susceptible populations with specific risk factors. This review reported the demographic, clinical, and microbiological features of OAIs caused by . A careful evaluation of an underlying infectious focus is warranted to control the source. When bacteremia is present, it is also necessary to have a high index of suspicion to rule out an associated endovascular infection.
PubMed: 37187711
DOI: 10.14740/jocmr4891 -
Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and... Dec 2020The surgical treatment of thoracic myelopathy is still controversial and also a challenge for spine surgeons. Therefore, the objective of this study was to review the...
PURPOSE
The surgical treatment of thoracic myelopathy is still controversial and also a challenge for spine surgeons. Therefore, the objective of this study was to review the related literature on the surgical treatment of thoracic myelopathy and try to define treatment guidelines for spine surgeons on thoracic myelopathy.
METHODS
Relevant literatures were searched based on the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library between January 2008 and December 2018. Some data on the characteristics of patients were extracted, including number of patients, mean age, surgical procedures, blood loss, complications, and pre-/post-operation modified JOA score. Recovery rate was used to assess the effect of surgery outcome, and the safety was evaluated by blood loss and incidence of complications.
RESULTS
Thirty-five studies met the inclusion criteria and were retrieved. A total of 2183 patients were included in our systematic review, with the average age of 55.2 years. There were 69.8% patients diagnosed as ossification of ligamentum flavum (OLF), 20.0% as ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL), 9.3% as disk herniation (DH), and 0.9% as others including diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The volume of blood loss was more in the treatment of circumferential decompression (CD) than posterior decompression (PD), and the incidence of complications was higher in CD (P < 0.05). The volume of blood loss in minimally invasive surgery (MIS) was lowest and the incidence of complications was 19.2%. Post-operation recovery rate was 0.49 in PD, 0.35 in CD, and 0.29 in MIS while the recovery rate was 0.54 in PD, 0.55 in CD, and 0.49 in MIS at the last follow-up. When focusing on the OLF specifically, incidence of complications in PD was much lower than CD, with less blood loss and higher recovery rate. Focusing on the OPLL specifically, incidence of complications in PD was much lower than CD, with less blood loss while there was no statistical difference in recovery rate between these two methods.
CONCLUSIONS
This systematic review showed that posterior decompression for thoracic myelopathy is safer and better than circumferential decompression according to the complication rate and surgical outcome. And we should also consider the location of compression before the operation.
Topics: Blood Loss, Surgical; Female; Humans; Male; Ossification of Posterior Longitudinal Ligament; Postoperative Complications; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Spinal Cord Diseases; Spinal Stenosis; Thoracic Vertebrae; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 33302988
DOI: 10.1186/s13018-020-02081-y -
Pain Physician 2012Chronic mid back and upper back pain caused by thoracic facet joints has been reported in 34% to 48% of patients based on responses to controlled diagnostic blocks.... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Chronic mid back and upper back pain caused by thoracic facet joints has been reported in 34% to 48% of patients based on responses to controlled diagnostic blocks. Systematic reviews have established moderate evidence for controlled comparative local anesthetic blocks of thoracic facet joints in the diagnosis of mid back and upper back pain, moderate evidence for therapeutic thoracic medial branch blocks, and limited evidence for radiofrequency neurotomy of thoracic medial branches.
STUDY DESIGN
Systematic review of therapeutic thoracic facet joint interventions.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the clinical utility of therapeutic thoracic facet joint interventions in the therapeutic management of chronic upper back and mid back pain.
METHODS
The available literature for the utility of facet joint interventions in the therapeutic management of thoracic facet joint pain was reviewed. The quality assessment and clinical relevance criteria utilized were the Cochrane Musculoskeletal Review Group criteria as utilized for interventional techniques for randomized trials and the criteria developed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale criteria for observational studies. The level of evidence was classified as good, fair, and limited (or poor) based on the quality of evidence developed by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). Data sources included relevant literature identified through searches of PubMed and EMBASE from 1966 to March 2012, and manual searches of the bibliographies of known primary and review articles.
OUTCOME MEASURES
The primary outcome measure was pain relief (short-term relief = up to 6 months and long-term > 6 months). Secondary outcome measures were improvement in functional status, psychological status, return to work, and reduction in opioid intake.
RESULTS
For this systematic review, 13 studies were identified. Of these, 7 studies were excluded, and a total of 4 studies (after removal of duplicate publication) met inclusion criteria for methodological quality assessment with one randomized trial and 3 non-randomized studies. The evidence is fair for therapeutic thoracic facet joint nerve blocks, limited for thoracic radiofrequency neurotomy, and not available for thoracic intraarticular injections.
LIMITATIONS
The limitation of this systematic review includes a paucity of literature. The only positive studies were of medial branch blocks performed by the same group of authors.
CONCLUSION
The evidence for therapeutic facet joint interventions is fair for medial branch blocks, whereas it is not available for intraarticular injections, and limited for radiofrequency neurotomy due to lack of literature.
Topics: Anesthetics, Local; Axotomy; Back Pain; Catheter Ablation; Clinical Trials as Topic; Humans; Injections, Intra-Articular; Injections, Spinal; Nerve Block; Thoracic Vertebrae; Zygapophyseal Joint
PubMed: 22828694
DOI: No ID Found