Browsing by Author "Fehlings, MG"
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Item Open Access Assessment of impact of standing long-cassette radiographs on surgical planning for lumbar pathology: An international survey of spine surgeons(Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, 2015-11-01) Maggio, D; Ailon, TT; Smith, JS; Shaffrey, CI; Lafage, V; Schwab, F; Haid, RW; Protopsaltis, T; Klineberg, E; Scheer, JK; Bess, S; Arnold, PM; Chapman, J; Fehlings, MG; Ames, COBJECT: The associations among global spinal alignment, patient-reported disability, and surgical outcomes have increasingly gained attention. The assessment of global spinal alignment requires standing long-cassette anteroposterior and lateral radiographs; however, spine surgeons routinely rely only on short-segment imaging when evaluating seemingly isolated lumbar pathology. This may prohibit adequate surgical planning and may predispose surgeons to not recognize associated pathology in the thoracic spine and sagittal spinopelvic malalignment. The authors used a case-based survey questionnaire to evaluate if including long-cassette radiographs led to changes to respondents' operative plans as compared with their chosen plan when cases contained standard imaging of the involved lumbar spine only. METHODS: A case-based survey was distributed to AOSpine International members that consisted of 15 cases of lumbar spine pathology and lumbar imaging only. The same 15 cases were then shuffled and presented a second time with additional long-cassette radiographs. Each case required participants to select a single operative plan with 5 choices ranging from least to most extensive. The cases included 5 "control" cases with normal global spinal alignment and 10 "test" cases with significant sagittal and/or coronal malalignment. Mean scores were determined for each question with higher scores representing more invasive and/or extensive operative plans. RESULTS: Of 712 spine surgeons who started the survey, 316 (44%) completed the entire series, including 68% of surgeons with spine fellowship training and representation from more than 40 countries. For test cases, but not for control cases, there were significantly higher average surgical invasiveness scores for cases presented with long-cassette radiographs (4.2) as compared with those cases with lumbar imaging only (3.4; p = 0.002). The addition of long-cassette radiographs resulted in 82.1% of respondents recommending instrumentation up to the thoracic spine, a 23.2% increase as compared with the same cases presented with lumbar imaging only (p = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the importance of maintaining a low threshold for performing standing long-cassette imaging when assessing seemingly isolated lumbar pathology. Such imaging is necessary for the assessment of spinopelvic and global spinal alignment, which can be important in operative planning. Deformity, particularly positive sagittal malalignment, may go undetected unless one maintains a high index of suspicion and obtains long-cassette radiographs. It is recommended that spine surgeons recognize the prevalence and importance of such deformity when contemplating operative intervention.Item Open Access Correction to: Natural History, Predictors of Outcome, and Effects of Treatment in Thoracic Spinal Cord Injury: A Multi-Center Cohort Study from the North American Clinical Trials Network by Wilson, J.R. et al. J. Neurotrauma 2018;35(21):2554–2560. (DOI: 10.1089/neu.2017.5535)(Journal of Neurotrauma, 2020-03-15) Wilson, JR; Jaja, BNR; Kwon, BK; Guest, JD; Harrop, JS; Aarabi, B; Shaffrey, C; Badhiwala, JH; Toups, EG; Grossman, RG; Fehlings, MGItem Open Access Evolution and Advancement of Adult Spinal Deformity Research and Clinical Care: An Overview of the Scoli-RISK-1 Study(Global Spine Journal, 2019-05-01) Cerpa, M; Lenke, LG; Fehlings, MG; Shaffrey, CI; Cheung, KMC; Carreon, LYStudy Design: Narrative review. Objective: The prevalence of adult spinal deformity (ASD) has been cited anywhere between 2-32%, while the prevalence in the elderly population has been estimated at 68%. Neurologic complications following ASD surgery remains a concern. Previous literature reported incidence of neurologic complications varied between 1-10%, while non-neurologic complications reported were as high as 50%. To assess the incidence of neurologic deficits, complications, and outcomes following ASD surgery, an international group of spine deformity surgeons initiated a prospective, multicenter, international, observational study: Scoli-RISK-1. Methods: Two hundred seventy-two patients were enrolled from 15 centers with ASD having primary or revision surgery with a major Cobb≥80°, revision including an osteotomy, and/or a complex 3-column osteotomy. Patients had lower extremity muscle strength (LEMS) exams performed preoperatively and at specific time points through 2-year follow-up. Results: Preoperatively, 203 patients (74.9%) had no LEMS impairment (normal) and 68 (25.1%) had a LEMS of <50 (abnormal). Compared with baseline, 23.0% of all patients experienced a LEMS decline at discharge, with this rate decreasing to 17.1% at 6-weeks and to 9.9% at 6-months and remaining stable at 10.0% at 2-years. Conclusion: This study revealed that a decline in LEMS after complex ASD surgery is common and more frequent than previously reported. We identified such a decline in 23.0% of patients at discharge, with neurologic function recovering over time to a decline of 10.0% at 2-years postoperatively. The Scoli-RISK-1 study revealed valuable information regarding the incidence, natural history, and prognosis of neurologic and non-neurologic complications following ASD surgery and provides useful information for patient counseling.Item Open Access Fehlings et al respond(Spine Journal, 2012-06-01) Fehlings, MG; Vaccaro, A; Wilson, JR; Kopjar, B; Harrop, JS; Aarabi, B; Shaffrey, CI; Dvorak, MF; Fisher, CG; Arnold, PM; Massicotte, EM; Lewis, SJ; Rampersaud, YRItem Open Access Geographic variations in clinical presentation and outcomes of decompressive surgery in patients with symptomatic degenerative cervical myelopathy: analysis of a prospective, international multicenter cohort study of 757 patients(Spine Journal, 2018-04-01) Fehlings, MG; Kopjar, B; Ibrahim, A; Tetreault, LA; Arnold, PM; Defino, H; Kale, SS; Yoon, ST; Barbagallo, GM; Bartels, RHM; Zhou, Q; Vaccaro, AR; Zileli, M; Tan, G; Yukawa, Y; Brodke, DS; Shaffrey, CI; Santos de Moraes, O; Woodard, EJ; Scerrati, M; Tanaka, M; Toyone, T; Sasso, RC; Janssen, ME; Gokaslan, ZL; Alvarado, M; Bolger, C; Bono, CM; Dekutoski, MBBackground Context: Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is a progressive degenerative spine disease and the most common cause of spinal cord impairment in adults worldwide. Few studies have reported on regional variations in demographics, clinical presentation, disease causation, and surgical effectiveness. Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate differences in demographics, causative pathology, management strategies, surgical outcomes, length of hospital stay, and complications across four geographic regions. Study Design/Setting: This is a multicenter international prospective cohort study. Patient Sample: This study includes a total of 757 symptomatic patients with DCM undergoing surgical decompression of the cervical spine. Outcome Measures: The outcome measures are the Neck Disability Index (NDI), the Short Form 36 version 2 (SF-36v2), the modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) scale, and the Nurick grade. Materials and Methods: The baseline characteristics, disease causation, surgical approaches, and outcomes at 12 and 24 months were compared among four regions: Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and North America. Results: Patients from Europe and North America were, on average, older than those from Latin America and Asia Pacific (p=.0055). Patients from Latin America had a significantly longer duration of symptoms than those from the other three regions (p<.0001). The most frequent causes of myelopathy were spondylosis and disc herniation. Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament was most prevalent in Asia Pacific (35.33%) and in Europe (31.75%), and hypertrophy of the ligamentum flavum was most prevalent in Latin America (61.25%). Surgical approaches varied by region; the majority of cases in Europe (71.43%), Asia Pacific (60.67%), and North America (59.10%) were managed anteriorly, whereas the posterior approach was more common in Latin America (66.25%). At the 24-month follow-up, patients from North America and Asia Pacific exhibited greater improvements in mJOA and Nurick scores than those from Europe and Latin America. Patients from Asia Pacific and Latin America demonstrated the most improvement on the NDI and SF-36v2 PCS. The longest duration of hospital stay was in Asia Pacific (14.16 days), and the highest rate of complications (34.9%) was reported in Europe. Conclusions: Regional differences in demographics, causation, and surgical approaches are significant for patients with DCM. Despite these variations, surgical decompression for DCM appears effective in all regions. Observed differences in the extent of postoperative improvements among the regions should encourage the standardization of care across centers and the development of international guidelines for the management of DCM.Item Open Access Spinal cord signal change on magnetic resonance imaging may predict worse clinical in-and outpatient outcomes in patients with spinal cord injury: A prospective multicenter study in 459 patients(Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2021-10-01) Jentzsch, T; Cadotte, DW; Wilson, JR; Jiang, F; Badhiwala, JH; Akbar, MA; Rocos, B; Grossman, RG; Aarabi, B; Harrop, JS; Fehlings, MGPrognostic factors for clinical outcome after spinal cord (SC) injury (SCI) are limited but important in patient management and education. There is a lack of evidence regarding magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and clinical outcomes in SCI patients. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether baseline MRI features predicted the clinical course of the disease. This study is an ancillary to the prospective North American Clinical Trials Network (NACTN) registry. Patients were enrolled from 2005–2017. MRI within 72 h of injury and a minimum follow-up of one year were available for 459 patients. Patients with American Spinal Injury Association impairment scale (AIS) E were excluded. Patients were grouped into those with (n = 354) versus without (n = 105) SC signal change on MRI T2-weighted images. Logistic regression analysis adjusted for commonly known a priori confounders (age and baseline AIS). Main outcomes and measures: The primary outcome was any adverse event. Secondary outcomes were AIS at the baseline and final follow-up, length of hospital stay (LOS), and mortality. A regression model adjusted for age and baseline AIS. Patients with intrinsic SC signal change were younger (46.0 (interquartile range (IQR) 29.0 vs. 50.0 (IQR 20.5) years, p = 0.039). There were no significant differences in the other baseline variables, gender, body mass index, comorbidities, and injury location. There were more adverse events in patients with SC signal change (230 (65.0%) vs. 47 (44.8%), p < 0.001; odds ratio (OR) = 2.09 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.31–3.35), p = 0.002). The most common adverse event was cardiopulmonary (186 (40.5%)). Patients were less likely to be in the AIS D category with SC signal change at baseline (OR = 0.45 (95% CI 0.28–0.72), p = 0.001) and in the AIS D or E category at the final follow-up (OR = 0.36 (95% CI 0.16–0.82), p = 0.015). The length of stay was longer in patients with SC signal change (13.0 (IQR 17.0) vs. 11.0 (IQR 14.0), p = 0.049). There was no difference between the groups in mortality (11 (3.2%) vs. 4 (3.9%)). MRI SC signal change may predict adverse events and overall LOS in the SCI population. If present, patients are more likely to have a worse baseline clinical presentation (i.e., AIS) and in-or.Item Open Access Treatment of isolated cervical facet fractures: A systematic review(Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, 2016-02-01) Kepler, CK; Vaccaro, AR; Chen, E; Patel, AA; Ahn, H; Nassr, A; Shaffrey, CI; Harrop, J; Schroeder, GD; Agarwala, A; Dvorak, MF; Fourney, DR; Wood, KB; Traynelis, VC; Yoon, ST; Fehlings, MG; Aarabi, BOBJECTIVE: In this clinically based systematic review of cervical facet fractures, the authors' aim was to determine the optimal clinical care for patients with isolated fractures of the cervical facets through a systematic review. METHODS: A systematic review of nonoperative and operative treatment methods of cervical facet fractures was performed. Reduction and stabilization treatments were compared, and analysis of postoperative outcomes was performed. MEDLINE and Scopus databases were used. This work was supported through support received from the Association for Collaborative Spine Research and AOSpine North America. RESULTS: Eleven studies with 368 patients met the inclusion criteria. Forty-six patients had bilateral isolated cervical facet fractures and 322 had unilateral isolated cervical facet fractures. Closed reduction was successful in 56.4% (39 patients) and 63.8% (94 patients) of patients using a halo vest and Gardner-Wells tongs, respectively. Comparatively, open reduction was successful in 94.9% of patients (successful reduction of open to closed reduction OR 12.8 [95% CI 6.1-26.9], p < 0.0001); 183 patients underwent internal fixation, with an 87.2% success rate in maintaining anatomical alignment. When comparing the success of patients who underwent anterior versus posterior procedures, anterior approaches showed a 90.5% rate of maintenance of reduction, compared with a 75.6% rate for the posterior approach (anterior vs posterior OR 3.1 [95% CI 1.0-9.4], p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In comparison with nonoperative treatments, operative treatments provided a more successful outcome in terms of failure of treatment to maintain reduction for patients with cervical facet fractures. Operative treatment appears to provide superior results to the nonoperative treatments assessed.