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Introduction: Anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion (ACCF) for cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) is associated with a high incidence of surgery-related complications. A novel anterior decompression technique (vertebral body sliding osteotomy [VBSO]) has been developed to prevent such complications. This study attests the efficacy and safety of VBSO versus those of standard ACCF. Methods: Patients requiring surgery for cervical OPLL underwent VBSO (24 patients) or ACCF (38 patients). Operating time, estimated blood loss, neurologic outcomes, complications, and various radiographic parameters were investigated. Results: The VBSO group showed a shorter mean operating time and less estimated blood loss versus the ACCF group. Sixteen patients in the ACCF group experienced various complications, namely neurologic deficit (two patients), cerebrospinal fluid leakage (four patients), graft migration (three patients), and pseudarthrosis (seven patients). In the VBSO group, only pseudarthrosis was reported (two patients). Conclusions: VBSO provides similar neurologic outcomes with a shorter operating time and less bleeding compared with ACCF. Surgeons do not need to directly manipulate the OPLL mass or dissect the interspace between the OPLL and dura mater. Therefore, this technique may decrease the incidence of surgery-related complications. Study Design: Retrospective comparative study.

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BackgroundThe contribution of preoperative embolization in reducing intraoperative blood loss and its clinical importance are unclear. So, we aimed to compare the perioperative clinical outcomes based on whether preoperative embolization was performed and assess the role and safety of preoperative embolization in metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC) patients.MethodsWe enrolled 52 patients (men, 37; women, 15) who underwent palliative decompression for MSCC. Demographic data, neurologic status, surgery-related data (operation time, estimated blood loss, and transfusion), complications, and survival time were recorded. Patients were categorized based on whether they received preoperative embolization: groups E (embolization) (n = 18) and NE (non-embolization) (n = 34) and the clinical parameters were compared. Subgroup analysis was performed specifically for cases of hypervascular tumors (23/52, 44%).ResultsThe transfusion degree was greater in the NE group (4.6 pints) than in the E group (2.5 pints, P = 0.025); the other parameters did not differ between the groups. However, massive bleeding (>2000 mL) was more frequent in the NE group (10/34) than in the E group (0/18, P = 0.010). Subgroup analysis indicated that intraoperative blood loss was greater in the NE group (1988 mL) than in the E group (1095 mL, P = 0.042) in hypervascular tumor patients. Although massive bleeding was more frequent among hypervascular tumor patients, 3 patients with non-hypervascularized tumors also exhibited massive bleeding (P = 0.087).ConclusionsIntraoperative blood loss and perioperative transfusion can be reduced by preoperative embolization in MSCC patients. Neurologic recovery, operation time, and complications did not differ according to the application of embolization. As preoperative embolization is relatively safe and effective for controlling intraoperative bleeding without any neurologic deterioration, it is highly recommended for hypervascular tumors. Moreover, it may also be effective for non-hypervascular tumors as massive bleeding may be noted in some cases.

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Study Design: Retrospective cohort study. Objectives: Vertebral body sliding osteotomy (VBSO) has previously been reported as a technique to decompress ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) by translating the vertebral body anteriorly. This study aimed to evaluate the radiological and clinical efficacies of VBSO and clarify the surgical indications of VBSO for treating myelopathy caused by OPLL. Methods: Ninety-seven patients with symptomatic OPLL-induced cervical myelopathy treated with VBSO or laminoplasty who were followed up for more than 2 years were retrospectively reviewed. Cervical alignment, range of motion, fusion, modified K-line (mK-line) status, and minimum interval between ossified mass and mK-line (INT(min)), and the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score were assessed. Patients in the VBSO group were compared with those who underwent laminoplasty. Results: Cervical lordosis and INT(min) significantly increased in the VBSO group. All patients in the VBSO group assessed as mK-line (-) preoperatively were assessed as mK-line (+) postoperatively. However, in the LMP group, the mK-line status changed from (+) preoperatively to (−) postoperatively in 3 patients. Final JOA score (p = 0.02) and JOA score improvement (p = 0.01) were significantly higher in the VBSO group. JOA recovery ratio (p = 0.03) and proportion of patients with a recovery rate ≥50% were significantly higher in the VBSO group (p < 0.01). Conclusions: VBSO is an effective surgical option for OPLL-induced myelopathy, demonstrating favorable neurological recovery and lordosis restoration with low complication rates. It is best indicated for kyphotic alignment, OPLL with a high space-occupying ratio, and OPLL involving ≤3 segments.

Massive rotator cuff tears can be divided into 3 types: anterosuperior (group 1), posterosuperior (group 2), and anteroposterior (group 3). Each group has distinctive characteristics and shows different results in the preoperative AHD, tear size, extent of retraction, postoperative AHD, and retear rate, which provide a reasonable basis for categorization. So far, massive rotator cuff tears have only been broadly defined, consequently being understood as a single category by many. However, to clearly understand and evaluate this injury, we suggest identifying differences within the category through proper subclassification.

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