We carried out a retrospective review over ten months of patients who had presented with a low-energy subtrochanteric fracture. We identified 13 women of whom nine were on long-term alendronate therapy and four were not. The patients treated with alendronate were younger, with a mean age of 66.9 years (55 to 82) vs 80.3 years (64 to 92) and were more socially active. The fractures sustained by the patients in the alendronate group were mainly at the femoral metaphyseal-diaphyseal junction and many had occurred after minimal trauma. Five of these patients had prodromal pain in the affected hip in the months preceding the fall, and three demonstrated a stress reaction in the cortex in the contralateral femur. Our study suggests that prolonged suppression of bone remodelling with alendronate may be associated with a new form of insufficiency fracture of the femur. We believe that this finding is important and indicates the need for caution in the long-term use of alendronate in the treatment of osteoporosis.

Cell saver use significantly reduces the need for allogeneic blood in spine deformity surgery, particularly in patients with low preoperative hemoglobin or longer operation time. This study confirms the utility of routine cell saver use during PSF with segmental spinal instrumentation for scoliosis patients.

No abstract

Our series of long lumbar fusions had a high long-term complication and revision rate. A high UIV angle on intraoperative lateral radiograph was strongly associated with UIV fractures. UIVs of L1 or L2 had a higher rate of adjacent segment or UIV failure.

The data suggest that subcutaneous closed-suction drainage offers a reasonable alternative to closed-wound suction drainage in adolescents idiopathic scoliosis patients undergoing posterior instrumented spinal fusion.

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Object The safety of spinal fusion has been poorly studied in children with surgically corrected congenital cardiac malformations (CCMs). The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety of spinal fusion in patients with CCMs following cardiac surgery. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 32 patients with scoliosis who received surgical treatment for their CCMs (CCM group). Sixty-four age- and sex-matched patients with scoliosis and normal hearts who received spinal fusion served as the control group. These 2 groups were compared for demographic distribution, blood loss, transfusion requirements, and incidence of postoperative complications. Results The ages, curve pattern distributions, and number of levels fused were similar between the 2 groups before spinal fusion. Overall, a total of 7 patients in the CCM group (21.9%) and 5 (7.8%) in the control group had documented postoperative complications. The perioperative allogenic blood transfusion rate and mean red blood cell transfusion requirement in the CCM group were significantly higher than those found in patients in the control group (68.7% vs 28.1%, respectively, p = 0.000; and 2.68 ± 2.76 units/patient vs 0.76 ± 1.07 units/patient, respectively, p = 0.011). In the CCM group, a preoperative major curve magnitude ≥ 80° was the most accurate indicator of an increased risk for a major complication (p = 0.019), whereas no statistically significant correlation was noted between postoperative complications and age, type of congenital heart disease, operative duration, and estimated blood loss during the operation and transfusion. Conclusions Spinal fusion subsequent to prior cardiac surgery is relatively safe and effective in correcting the spinal deformity for patients with scoliosis and surgically corrected CCMs. A preoperative major curve magnitude ≥ 80° may be a risk factor in predicting postoperative complications in scoliotic patients with surgically corrected CCMs.

Study Design: A retrospective study. Objectives: Intraoperative skull-skeletal traction (ISST) facilitates the surgical scoliosis correction, but it is also associated with neurological risk. The objective of the present study was to investigate the impact of various traction weights on neurophysiological change and curve correction in surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Methods: A retrospective review of a consecutive series of posterior spinal fusions for AIS patients undergoing corrections with the use of ISST by 2 surgeons in one institution was performed. Intraoperative prone, post-traction radiographs were performed on all cases. The cases were divided into 2 groups, high and low traction weights, based on whether the weight used was ≥35% or <35% of body weight. The frequency of neurophysiological changes and the curve correction were compared between the 2 groups. Results: The intraoperative correction magnitudes by ISST were significantly larger in the high ISST group than in the low ISST group (35° vs 26°, P < .001). Changes in motor-evoked potential (MEP) were more frequently observed in the high ISST group (47% vs 26%, P = .049). A multivariate analysis showed that high ISST was associated with 3 times higher risk of MEP change (95% confidence interval = 1.1-8.0, P = .03) and higher final postoperative correction rates (68% vs 60%, P = .001). Conclusions: The high ISST for AIS was associated with increased intraoperative and ultimate curve corrections, and potentially facilitated better final correction. However, the high weight group was associated with an increased frequency of intraoperative MEP changes.