OBJECTIVES The study investigated the impact of occupational workloads on disc surgery specimens. We report the relationship between workload and histological features. METHODS Specimens were collected prospectively from patients suffering from lumbar disc prolapse (n=90) or spinal osteochondrosis (n=19). Histomorphology and occupational workload data and histomorphological features were eval...

BACKGROUND Although measures to reduce and treat degenerative changes after fusion are discussed, these are still controversial. METHODS A retrospective study was conducted on a consecutive series of 3,799 patients who underwent posterior lumbar fusion for degenerative lumbar disease between January 1999 and January 2009. A total of 28 patients with symptomatic adjacent segment degeneration s...

BACKGROUND Psychiatric comorbidity is common in back pain patients undergoing disc surgery and increases economic costs in many areas of health. The objective of this study was to analyse psychiatric comorbidity as predictor of direct and indirect costs in back pain patients undergoing disc surgery in a longitudinal study design. METHODS A sample of 531 back pain patients was interviewed afte...

Complications arising from lumbar intervertebral disc surgery are rare but fatal. Major vascular injury is one complication that may end in death unless it is diagnosed and treated immediately. Herein we report an abdominal aortic injury due to L3-L4 intervertebral disc surgery that was treated successfully and discuss it in light of current literature. Diagnosis and treatment of an abdominal a...

The aim of the study was to investigate the changes of the lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after the implantation of interspinous device and the fusion of the adjacent segment. A total of 62 consecutive patients suffering L5/S1 lumbar disc herniation (LDH) with concomitant disc space narrowing or low-grade instability up to 5 mm translational slip in ...

Backround: The English literature contains very few reports on disc herniation at upper thoracic levels. This report presents a patient with T1-2 disc herniation who underwent successful surgery. Case Presentation: A 47-year-old female presented that the right T1 root was compressed by foraminal disc herniation at the T1-2 level. Conclusion: The anterior approach is an easy and appropriate meth...

Artificial disc replacement has been widely used in the lumbar spine since the 1980s, and more recently in the cervical spine. However, artificial disc replacement in the cervicothoracic and thoracic regions is very rare. A 43-year-old otherwise healthy male suffered from right sided cervicobrachialgia. X-rays and MRI revealed left C5/6, C6/7 and C7-T1 disc herniation, compromising the neural f...

OBJECTIVE Recurrent lumbar disc herniation has been defined as disc herniation at the same level, regardless of ipsilateral or contralateral herniation, with a pain-free interval greater than 6 months. The aim of this study is to analyze outcomes and identify the potential risk factors for recurrent lumbar disc herniation. METHODS The authors retrospectively reviewed the cases of 178 patients...

BACKGROUND Literature recommends that refractory cases with lumbar disc herniation and appropriate indications are better to be treated surgically, but do all the patients throughout the world consent to the surgery with a same disability and pain threshold? We aim to elucidate the prevalence and severity of disabilities and pain in Iranian patients with lumbar disc herniation who have consente...

BACKGROUND The clinical success of cervical arthroplasty hinges on the ability to preserve or improve the biomechanics of the functional spinal unit. The purpose of this study was to conduct a radiologic assessment of kinematic parameters preimplantation and postimplantation of the PRESTIGE LP Cervical Disc System (Medtronic, Memphis, Tennessee). METHODS A total of 120 radiographs of 20 patie...