Therapeutic Level I. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Thoracolumbar burst fractures are high-energy vertebral injuries, which commonly can be treated nonoperatively. Consideration of the injury pattern, extent of comminution, neurological status, and integrity of the posterior ligamentous complex may help determine whether operative management is appropriate. Several classification systems are contingent upon these factors to assist with clinical decision-making. A multitude of operative procedures have been shown to have good radiographic and clinical outcomes with extended follow-up, and treatment choice should be based on the individual's clinical and radiographic presentation.

No abstract

Spinal infections have historically been associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Current treatment protocols have improved patient outcomes through prompt and accurate infection identification, medical treatment, and surgical interventions. Medical and surgical management, however, remains controversial because of a paucity of high-level evidence to guide decision making. Despite this, an awareness of presenting symptoms, pertinent risk factors, and common imaging findings are critical for treating spine infections. The purpose of this article is to review the recent literature and present the latest evidence-based recommendations for the most commonly encountered primary spinal infections: vertebral osteomyelitis and epidural abscess.

To decrease the miss rate, all SLNs with ≥10% of the ex vivo radioactivity of the "hottest" SLN should be removed and blue dye is not essential.

Vitamin D therapy improved the majority of the patients' vitamin D-25-OH level but did not normalize most. Patients with initial deficiency had the largest improvement. This study indicates that vigilance is required to adequately treat a low serum vitamin D-25-OH level.

Lumbar disk herniation, degenerative disk disease, and spondylolysis are the most prevalent lumbar conditions that result in missed playing time. Lumbar disk herniation has a good prognosis. After recovery from injury, professional athletes return to play 82% of the time. Surgical management of lumbar disk herniation has been shown to be a viable option in athletes in whom nonsurgical measures have failed. Degenerative disk disease is predominately genetic but may be accelerated in athletes secondary to increased physiologic loading. Nonsurgical management is the standard of care for lumbar degenerative disk disease in the elite athlete. Spondylolysis is more common in adolescent athletes with back pain than in adult athletes. Nonsurgical management of spondylolysis is typically successful. However, if surgery is required, fusion or direct pars repair can allow the patient to return to sports.

PMT and MMS were independently prognostic of PFS and OS in melanoma patients. Patients with negative CLND had significantly better PFS and OS than those with positive CLND.