Degenerative Disk Disease

BACKGROUND: The cervical lateral approach can enlarge the spinal canal and foramen to achieve an effective neural decompression without needing spine stabilization. For this review, the authors' main objective was to illustrate the rationale, advantages, disadvantages, complications, and pitfalls of this technique, highlighting also areas for future development. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A Medline via PubMed database search was carried out by using both keywords, namely "cervical oblique corpectomy," "multilevel oblique corpectomy and foraminotomy," and "lateral vertebrectomy," and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms from 1 January 1991, up to 31 December 2021...

Introductionː Cervical disk arthroplasty is a potential alternative procedure to anterior cervical decompression and fusion for the treatment of cervical disk disease. The aim of the study was to perform a systematic literature review on long-term clinical and radiological outcomes after Bryan cervical disk arthroplasty.Material and Methodsː A systematic literature review was performed according to PRISMA guidelines via PubMed and Embase, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library database by using the following keywords: "Bryan prosthesis"; "cervical disk arthroplasty"; "outcomes"; and "long-term follow-up...

In vertebrate vision, photons are detected by highly specialized sensory cilia called outer segments. Photoreceptor outer segments form by remodeling the membrane of a primary cilium into a stack of flattened disks. Intraflagellar transport (IFT) is critical to the formation of most types of eukaryotic cilia including the outer segments. This review covers the state of knowledge of the role of IFT in the formation and maintenance of outer segments and the human diseases that result from mutations in genes encoding the IFT complex and associated motors...

Laparoscopic anterior lumbar interbody fusion (L-ALIF), which employs laparoscopic cameras to facilitate a less invasive approach, originally gained traction during the 1990s but has subsequently fallen out of favor. As the envelope for endoscopic approaches continues to be pushed, a recurrence of interest in laparoscopic and/or endoscopic anterior approaches seems possible. Therefore, evaluating the current evidence base in regard to this approach is of much clinical relevance. To this end, a systematic literature search was performed according to PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines using the following keywords: "(laparoscopic OR endoscopic) AND (anterior AND lumbar)...

Cervical degenerative disc diseases such as myelopathy and radiculopathy often require conventional treatments like artificial cervical disc replacement or anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). When designing a medical device, like the stand-alone cage, there are many design inputs to consider. However, the precise biomechanics of the force between the vertebrae and implanted devices under certain conditions require further investigation. In this study, a new method was developed to evaluate the pressure between the vertebrae and implanted devices by embedding a sensor array into a 3D-printed C2-C3 cervical spine...

BACKGROUND: Despite reports on the association between diabetes mellitus (DM) and lumbar disk herniation (LDH), large-scale, nationwide studies exploring this relationship are lacking. We aimed to examine the profiles of DM in individuals with LDH and explore the potential mechanisms underlying the development of these disorders. METHODS: This retrospective, population-based study was conducted between 2008 and 2019 using data from the National Health Insurance (NHI) research database in Taiwan...

Periostin (POSTN) serves a dual role as both a matricellular protein and an extracellular matrix (ECM) protein and is widely expressed in various tissues and cells. As an ECM protein, POSTN binds to integrin receptors, transduces signals to cells, enabling cell activation. POSTN has been linked with various diseases, including atopic dermatitis, asthma, and the progression of multiple cancers. Recently, its association with orthopedic diseases, such as osteoporosis, osteoarthritis resulting from cartilage destruction, degenerative diseases of the intervertebral disks, and ligament degenerative diseases, has also become apparent...

Lumbar stiffness leads to greater hip dependence to achieve sagittal motion and increases instability after total hip arthroplasty (THA). We aimed to determine parameters that influence lumbar stiffness among patients with hip pathology. We hypothesized that modifiable (degenerative changes, spinal canal stenosis, facet orientation) and nonmodifiable factors (muscle condition) would be associated with lumbar spine stiffness. In this retrospective case-cohort study from a tertiary referral center, consecutive patients presenting at a hip specialist clinic underwent standing and deep-seated radiographic assessment to measure lumbar lordosis (∆LL) (stiffness: ∆LL < 20°), hip flexion (∆PFA: pelvic femoral angle), and degree of degenerative-disc-disease (DDD) (facet osteoarthritis, disc height, endplate proliferative changes)...

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and safety of unilateral biportal endoscopic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (BE-TLIF) and minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) in lumbar degenerative diseases. METHODS: This study was registered on International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) (ID: CRD42023432460). We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wan Fang Database, and Wei Pu Database by computer to collect controlled clinical studies on the efficacy and safety of unilateral BE-TLIF and MIS-TLIF in lumbar degenerative diseases from database establishment to May 2023...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Intervertebral disc degeneration is the primary etiology of low back pain and radicular pain. This review examines the roles of crucial chemokines in different stages of degenerative disc disease, along with interventions targeting chemokine function to mitigate disc degeneration. RECENT FINDINGS: The release of chemokines from degenerated discs facilitates the infiltration and activation of immune cells, thereby intensifying the inflammatory cascade response...

As society ages, the number of patients with spinal degenerative diseases (SDD) is increasing, posing a major socioeconomic problem for patients and their families. SDD refers to a generic term for degenerative diseases of spinal structures, including osteoporosis (bone), facet osteoarthritis (joint), intervertebral disk degeneration (disk), lumbar spinal canal stenosis (yellow ligament), and spinal sarcopenia (muscle). We propose the term "gut-spine axis" for the first time, given the influence of gut microbiota (GM) on the metabolic, immune, and endocrine environment in hosts through various potential mechanisms...

BACKGROUND: Symptoms of cauda equina syndrome (CES) secondary to degenerative lumbar spine diseases are sometimes mild and tend to be ignored by patients, resulting in delayed treatment. In addition, the long-term efficacy of surgery is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To determine the predictive factors of CES and post-operative recovery in patients with symptoms lasting > 3 months. METHODS: From January 2011 to December 2020, data of 45 patients with CES secondary to lumbar disk herniation/lumbar spinal stenosis were collected from a single center...

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective clinical study. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate preoperative spinopelvic mismatch as a risk factor for recurrent lumbar disk herniation (RLDH) in patients undergoing lumbar disk herniation (LDH) surgery. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Spinopelvic parameters have been associated with lumbar degenerative diseases, particularly LDH. However, the relationship between these parameters and RLDH has yet to be studied...

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) are associated with a modest but significant increase in serum magnesium levels. This report describes improvement in serum magnesium and associated symptoms after initiating SGLT2i therapy in a patient with refractory hypomagnesemia. A 58-year-old woman presented with persistent hypomagnesemia refractory to oral magnesium supplements. She had history of type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, fibromyalgia, and degenerative disk disease. The cause of hypomagnesemia was attributed to excessive renal losses...

This retrospective study aimed to characterize and determine the prevalence of spinal disease in nondomestic felids within a sanctuary population. A review of 304 postmortem examination reports in Panthera species from 2003 to 2021 revealed that 86/304 (28%) were diagnosed with spinal disease. Spinal lesions were categorized according to pathologic process: degenerative (78/86, 91%), developmental (8/86, 9%), inflammatory (6/86, 7%), or neoplastic (8/86, 9%). Degenerative lesions included intervertebral disk disease (IVDD; 66/78, 85%), spondylosis without concurrent IVDD (4/78, 5%), and idiopathic (noncompressive) degenerative myelopathies (8/78, 10%)...

BACKGROUND: Though cage-and-plate constructs are widely used for disk height restoration in surgery for cervical disc disease, concerns over range of motion limitations and adjacent disc space violations have fueled the development of artificial disc and zero-profile constructs. This study investigated the outcomes of patients undergoing two-level cervical interventions via arthroplasty, cage-and-plate, or zero-profile constructs. METHODS: Patients undergoing two-level anterior cervical procedures between 2010 and 2020 were identified using an all-payer claims database...

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the associations between general health expectations and patient satisfaction with treatment for the two common spine surgery procedures diskectomy for lumbar disk herniation (LDH) and decompression for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). DESIGN: Register study with prospectively collected preoperative and 1-year postoperative data. SETTING: National outcome data from Swespine, the national Swedish spine register...

STUDY DESIGN: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare mid-term to long-term outcomes of cervical disk arthroplasty (CDA) with those of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) for the treatment of symptomatic cervical degenerative disk disease. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: After ACDF to treat symptomatic cervical degenerative disk disease, the loss of motion at the index level due to fusion may accelerate adjacent-level disk degeneration...

Cervical disk arthroplasty has been employed with increased frequency over the past 2 decades as a motion-preserving alternative to anterior cervical discectomy and fusion in select patients with myelopathy or radiculopathy secondary to degenerative disk disease. As indications continue to expand, an understanding of cervical kinematics and materials science is helpful for optimal implant selection. Cervical disk arthroplasty implants can be classified according to the mode of articulation and df, articulation material, and endplate construction...

To analyze the effectiveness of an algorithmic anterior approach to the surgical treatment of patients with two-level cervical degenerative disk disease based on the preoperative clinical and imaging parameters. The study included 244 patients with two-level cervical degenerative disk disease. Three groups of patients were evaluated at 3 neurosurgical centers between 2016-2019. The prospective group (Group I, n = 126) consisted of patients who were treated using an algorithm to decide whether they should be treated with a two-level Total Disk replacement (TDR), Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF) and hybrid technique...