We report here on an unusual case of multiple levels of asymmetric lumbar spondylolysis in a 19-year-old woman. The patient had severe low back pain of increasing intensity with lumbar instability, which was evident on the dynamic radiographs. MRI demonstrated the presence of abnormalities and the three dimensional CT scan revealed asymmetric complete spondylolysis at the left L2, L3 and L4 lev...

STUDY DESIGN A cadaveric simulation model of the lumbar spine was used to study the intervertebral motion characteristics of the lumbar spine after bilateral laminotomy and facet-sparing laminectomy. OBJECTIVE To assess differences in motion patterns and lumbar spine stiffness after bilateral laminotomy versus laminectomy. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Spondylolisthesis after facet-sparing lam...

An in vitro preparation of newborn rat isolated brainstem/spinal cord was used in order to locate the spinal network responsible in mammals for producing patterned locomotor activity. The spinal cord was partitioned by building Vaseline walls at various lumbar levels. When a mixture of serotonin and N-methyl-D,L-aspartate was bath applied to the upper lumbar cord (L1/L2 segments), rhythmic loco...

RATIONALE Gout in the spine is very rare. The clinical symptoms of the spinal gout are various and lack of specificity. The authors report a case of spinal gout causing lumbar stenosis. We never find such wide-invasive spinal gouty lesion in the published studies. PATIENT CONCERNS A 68-year-old male had low back pain radiating to bilateral lower limbs, accompanying with intermittent claudicat...

Introduction
 The extreme lateral interbody fusion technique (XLIF) is a modification of the retroperitoneal approach to the lumbar spine. This is a minimally invasive technique allowing direct access to the disc space without peritoneal or posterior paraspinal musculature damage. Nevertheless, the retroperitoneal part of the colon can be injured in this operative technique. To our knowledge, a...

Bone mineral density of the lumbar vertebrae (L2-4BMD) in involutional osteoporosis was measured by dual photon absorptiometry to investigate its relationship with the incidence of osteoporotic vertebral fractures of the thoracic and lumbar spine. In addition to monitor L2-4BMD, the author also examined the progress of vertebral fractures during drug treatments by means of radiographs. L2-4BMD ...

of lumbar spine showing LI, L2, L4, and L5 vertebrae with vestiges of posterior elements ofL3 (arrowed). Note codfish appearance ofL2, L4, and LS. Right: lateral view oflumbar spine showing narrowing ofdisc spaces ofT12 andL I and kyphos between L2 and L4, pseudo-Schmorl's nodes at upper and lower surfaces of T12, and bridging anterio-lateral osteophytes between L2 and L4. Only vestiges ofposte...

BACKGROUND There are few studies about risk factors for poor outcomes from multi-level lumbar posterolateral fusion limited to three or four level lumbar posterolateral fusions. The purpose of this study was to analyze the outcomes of multi-level lumbar posterolateral fusion and to search for possible risk factors for poor surgical outcomes. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed 37 consecutive ...

A 26-year-old paraplegic schizophrenic Japanese woman suffered from severe kyphosis and back pain derived from lumbar burst fractures caused by jumping. She had already undergone resection of the L1 and L2 spinous processes for sharp angular kyphosis, but she still had severe kyphosis and back pain at the L1 and L2. Radiographical examination revealed fused anterior columns at L1 and L2 with se...