Objective To summarize the clinical features and diagnostic flow of cervical spondylosis with proximal upper extremity amyotrophy;and further analyze the clinical effect of cervical anterior decompression and fusion on cervical spondylosis with proximal upper extremity amyotrophy.Methods Twenty-two cases of cervical spondylosis with proximal upper extremity amyotrophy were analyzed retrospectively from June 2006 to December 2013.Seventeen males and 5 females with an average age of (55.73 ± 8.64) years (38 to 68 years) were included.The mean preoperative course of disease was (19.2 ± 21.86) months (1-72 months).Clinical symptoms,imaging findings and electrophysiological findings were analyzed.The muscular strength recovery of atrophic muscles was evaluated by Manual Muscle Testing (MMT).The clinical improvement rate was evaluated by the Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score,and the clinical satisfaction was assessed at followed up.Results The muscles involved in patients of cervical spondylosis with proximal upper extremity amyotrophy are mainly the deltoid muscle,biceps and scapula levator muscle.Most cases of imaging findings showed multi-segmental degeneration,of which C4,5,C5,6 segments were most common.Neuroelectrophysiological examination showed that affected muscles experienced obvious denervation and decreased action potential.The average follow-up time was (44.14 ± 20.51) months (14 to 102 months).At the last follow-up,the JOA score (16.29 ±0.59) in 17 cases was higher than preoperative (15.12 ± 0.93),the difference was statistically significant (F=51.814,P=0.000),and the average improvement rate was 73.3％.MMT assessment showed that 19 patients (86.4％) in this group had muscle strength recovery for more than 1 grade at the last follow-up.The average clinical satisfaction was 83.7％.Conclusion The clinical diagnosis of cervical spondylosis with proximal upper extremity amyotrophy requires a combination of clinical symptoms,imaging findings and neurophysiological examination results for comprehensive judgment.Anterior cervical decompression and fusion in the treatment of cervical spondylosis with proximal upper extremity amyotrophy patients can achieve good clinical results.

Objective To measure the related anatomical parameters of lumbosacral nerve root and adjacent structures by magnetic resonance neurography,and to analyze operative safety of transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion in Chinese people.Methods A total of 12 healthy volunteers,including 6 males and 6 females,underwent magnetic resonance neurography of lumbosacral nerve root using a Siemens 3.0T MRI machine.The Osirix software was used to reconstruct the three-dimensional imaging and measure the following anatomic parameters: 1) the distance between the nerve root and the superior pedicle; 2) the distance between the nerve root and the inferior pedicle; 3) the angle between the nerve root and the sagittal plane; 4) the distance between the superior and inferior nerve roots; 5) the distance between the superior and inferior pedicles.Results L1-L5 nerve roots got a good imaging by magnetic resonance neurography in all 12 volunteers.The distance between the nerve root and the superior pedicle and the angle between the nerve root and the sagittal plane gradually became smaller from L1 to L5.But the variation in the distance between the nerve root and the inferior pedicle and the distance between the superior and inferior pedicles was not obvious.The distance between the nerve root and the inferior pedicles,which was closely related to the operating space of TLIF,ranged from (8.99±0.88) mm to (10.72±1.01) mm for males and from (7.76±0.46) mm to (8.54±0.65) mm for females; it was less than 10 mm in each segments in the majority of subjects,and the data of females was significantly smaller than that of males.No significant differences were found in parameters between the left and right sides in the same segment.Conclusion Based on the above anatomical study and measurement analysis,we believe that there is some harassment to the upper nerve root in TLIF for Chinese patients,and for some patients there is a certain injury risk.

Objective To investigate causes and treatment strategy of cage retropulsion after lumbar interbody fusion.Methods Data of 11 patients with cage retropulsion after lumbar interbody fusion from December 2005 to October 2011 in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed.There were 7 males and 4 females.Their age ranged from 36 to 78 years (average,52.3 years) at the time of the primary operation.Six cases occurred cage retropulsion 0.5 to 3 months after the primary operation,while 5 cases occurred cage retropulsion 14 to 36 months after the primary operation.The causes of cage retropulsion were analyzed.Moreover,corresponding managements were performed and results were recorded.Results The early cage retropulsion was associated with mismanagement of intervertebral space,too much residual of nucleus pulposus,insufficient erasion of cartilage end plate,too small size of cage,malposition of cage,insufficient fixation and so on.The late cage retropulsion was associated with improper choice of surgical strategies,multi-level fusion,preoperative unsteady of vertebrae,advanced age,osteoporosis,diabetes and so on.Three patients underwent conservative treatment and 8 patients underwent revision surgery.All 11 patients were followed up for 6 to 72 months (average,34 months).There was no re-migration of cage,fusion failure,pedicle screw loosening and other complications during the follow-up period.Conclusion The causes of cage retropulsion after lumbar interbody fusion were complex and diverse,and the time of cage retropusion had some clinical value for the cause analysis.It was more advisable to make an individualized treatment program based on the causes of cage retropulsion,clinical manifestations and imaging results.

Objective To determine anatomic parameters related to the surgery of lumbar cortical bone trajectory of normal adults and the feasibility of screw application in cortical bone and its specification and dimension.Methods Lumbar 3D image data of 80 adults between 18 and 40 years old (40 for each gender) were randomly selected as subjects of our research.With the help of the imaging software for 3D interactive viewing,the ideal starting point was supposed to be the junction of the center of the superior articular process and 1 mm below the inferior border of the transverse process.The diameter,length,lateral angle to the vertebral horizontal plane,cephalad angle to the vertebral sagittal plane of the trajectory and the horizontal distance from the insertion point to the lateral edge of the vertebral plate were measured.Differences of anatomic parameters for each gender,side and segment were analyzed.Results Differences of anatomic parameters on both sides of each segment had no statistical significance.At the ideal trajectory,the mean screw length was 37.56±2.41 mm at L1,38.72±2.36 mm at L2,39.51 ±2.51 mm at L3,39.78± 2.87 mm at L4 and 38.83±2.74 mm at L5.The mean screw diameters from L1 to L5 were 6.04±1.23 mm,6.17±1.24 mm,7.15±1.22 mm,8.02± 1.41 mm and 8.68± 1.42 mm respectively.However,differences of ideal entry angle of L1 to L5 had no statistical significance.The mean lateral angle from L1 to L5 were 8.46°±2.11°,9.37°±2.84°,9.62°±2.16°,9.53°± 1.98°,9.04°± 1.97°,while the mean cephalad angle to the vertebral sagittal plane from L1 to L5 were 26.49°±4.97°,25.94°±4.56°,26.42°±4.42°,26.29°±3.48°,26.89°±3.69°.The mean distance from the insertion point to the lateral edge of the vertebral plate gradually increased from L1 to L5,which were 1.19±0.75 mm,1.54±1.08 mm,2.01±1.45 mm,3.49±1.52 mm,4.47±1.32 mm respectively.The screw diameters of each segment for men were greater than those for women.Conclusion The common length of screw for lumbar cortical bone trajectory of normal adults might be from 35 mm to 40 mm.The safe upper limits of the screw diameter were 5.5 mm at L1,5.5-6.0 mm at L2,6.5-7.0 mm at L3,7.5 mm at L4 and 8 mm at L5.The average lateral angle of all 5 lumbar segments was 9.20°± 2.11° and the average cephalad angle was about 26.41°±4.22°.

BACKGROUND: Multiwaled carbon nanotubes can accelerate the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts, and exert a therapeutic effect on steroid-induced necrosis of femoral head (SNFH). OBJECTIVE:To investigate the function of multiwaled carbon nanotubes in the establishment of a rabbit model of SNFH. METHODS:Thirty-six New Zealand white rabbits were divided randomly into three groups. In treatment group, 16 rabbits were given intraglutealy injection of dexamethasone (2.5 mg/kg) every day and injection of 1 mL liquor of multiwaled carbon nanotubes (0.1 g/L) into the bilateral femur medulary space every week. In model group, 16 rabbits were given intraglutealy injection of dexamethasone (2.5 mg/kg) every day and injection of 1 mL normal saline into the bilateral femur medulary space every week. In control group, four rabbits were given intraglutealy injection of 2 mL normal saline every day and injection of 1 mL normal saline into the bilateral femur medulary space every week. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Four weeks after hormone injection, the trabeculae began to exhibit a smal amount of thinner fractures, an accumulation of fatty tissue in the bone marrow were obvious, bone marrow fat cels became bigger and microvascular thrombosis appeared in the model group, while there was no positive histopathological manifestation in the treatment group. This indicates that the multiwaled carbon nanotubes can extenuate pathological damage to the femoral head to a certain extent.

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of different surgical approaches on multi-level cervical spondylosis in elderly patients.Methods A total of 53 aged patients with multi-level cervical spondylosis (≥70 years old) who received operation in our department during May 2007 to May 2014 were retrospectively studied, and divided into anterior cervical surgical group (n=22) and posterior cervical group (n=31), according to the surgical approach.The operation duration, intraoperative blood loss, hospitalization time, postoperative complications, Japanese orthopedics association (JOA) scores, Neck disability index (NDI), postoperative subjective improvement of clinical symptoms and spinal fusion of the two groups were evaluated and compared respectively.Results The mean operative time was longer in the anterior surgical group than in the posterior surgical group [(2.7±0.5)h vs.(1.9±0.3) h, P＜0.05].The average blood loss of the anterior surgical group was less than that of posterior surgical group [(90.0±50.4) ml vs.(160.7±40.5)ml, P＜0.05].The hospitalization time of the anterior surgical group was less than that of posterior surgical group [(10.3±2.5) d vs.(15.7±3.6) d, P＜0.05].Postoperative JOA score of anterior surgical group was higher than that of posterior surgical group 6 months after surgery [(14.7 ±0.8)vs.(13.8±1.2), P＜0.05], while there was no significant difference in JOA score between the two groups up to the last follow-up [(14.8±1.2) vs.(14.7±1.8), P＞0.05].NDI score was lower in anterior surgical group than in posterior surgical group 3, 6, 12 months after operation and at the last follow-up.Among the 41 patients, radiographic outcomes showed that there were 16 cases of anterior surgical group with no bony fusion at the follow-up 3 months after operation, and all the 16 patients achieved bony fusion at the follow-up 1 year after operation, and there were 4 cases with titanium mesh subsidence (＜ 3 mm).Conclusions Both anterior cervical decompression and fusion and posterior cervical single open-door laminoplasty have good efficacy in the treatment of multilevel cervical spondylosis in elderly patients, which have advantages on the limb functional recovery time and cervical function assessment.When anterior cervical surgical contraindications were excluded, the anterior cervical decompression and fusion may be a good choice for the treatment of multilevel cervical spondylosis in aged patients.

Objective To investigate the risk factors and treatment strategy in treating adjacent segment diseases (ASD) after anterior cervical decompression and fusion.Methods Fourteen patients with ASD after anterior cervical decompression and fusion from December 2005 to August 2012 were analyzed.The overall curvature of the cervical spine,local curvature of surgical segments,and the distances between the plate and the upper and lower intervertebral space were measured and analyzed.10 males and 4 females,age at initial surgery was 36 to 68 years old,the mean was 52.0±11.0 years old.The secondary surgery was taken,according to the number of involved segments and other factors.Anterior decompression and fusion and internal fixation was taken to patients who segment number ≤2 without severe ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament or ossification of the ligamentum flava; posterior decompression and laminoplasty was conducted in patients whose segment number ≥3,but not accompanied with significant kyphosis,instability and serious ossification of the ligamentum flava; and posterior laminectomy and fusion was performed in patients with significant kyphosis,instability and not suitable for anterior decompression due to technical reasons,as well as patients with serious ossification of the ligamentum flava.Results The average time of occurrence of ASD after the initial surgery was 9.3±4.4 years,and the average age of reoperation was 61.3±12.4 years old.The overall curvature of the cervical spine,surgical segment local curvature after the initial surgical procedure were 12.4°± 10.8 o,1.5o±6.8o,respectively; and the distances between the plate and the upper and lower interyertebral space were:0.9± 1.8 mm,3.8±3.2 mm.The secondary surgeries were taken as follows:9 cases anterior decompression and fusion and internal fixation,3 cases posterior decompression and laminoplasty,and 2 cases posterior laminectomy and fusion.All 14 patients were followed up 30.4± 17.8 months,and the average improvement rate of Japanese Orthopaedic Association scores at the last follow up was 73.9％±9.7％.Conclusion The smaller distance between the plate and neighboring intervertebral space,and poorer local curvature of surgical segments might be the risk factors for ASD after anterior cervicad decompression and fusion.The appropriate secondary surgery was taken after comprehensive analysis of the number of adjacent segments,compression factors,cervical curvature and other factors.

Objective To assess the risk of sympathetic nerve injury in oblique lumbar interbody fusion (OLIF) in different lumbar spine segments based on anatomical study.Methods Twenty-four healthy adult volunteers (12 male and female) were selected and routine lumbar spine scanning was performed with MAG MAGOMOM Verio 3.0 T.The anatomical structures of left lumbar sympathetic trunk,abdominal aorta and left psoas muscle were identified on T2 images of L2,3,L3,4,L4,5 intervertebral space.And the anatomical parameters of the OLIF operation approach and the anatomical parameters of the left sympathetic trunk and adjacent structures were measured.The t-test was used to compare the parameters between the different sexes.The comparison of the data between the different segments was performed by the least significant difference (LSD) single factor analysis of variance.Results From the L2,3 to L4,5 segments,the anatomical parameters of the OLIF operation approach and the anatomical parameters of the left sympathetic trunk and the adjacent structures showed regular changes.The distances between the anterior margin of the left psoas muscle and the abdominal aorta from L2,3 to L4,5 were 13.65±4.10 mm to 9.42 ± 4.00 mm in adult healthy male individuals,and 13.89±3.18 mm to 8.38 ± 3.33 mm in female individuals,showing a significant downward trend.The distances between the left sympathetic trunk and the abdominal aorta from L2,3 to L4,5 were 10.76±3.89 mm to 6.68±3.39 mm in adult healthy male individuals,and 11.52±3.02 mm to 6.12±2.95 mm in female individuals,also showing a significant downward trend.There were significant differences in the operation area of OLIF surgery between different segments.The operation area of OLIF surgery was relatively large in L 2,3 segment,and the risk of sympathetic nerve injury was relatively small.The left lumbar sympathetic trunk in the L3,4 intervertebral space was walking front and inside,and there was a greater risk of injury in the OLIF surgery.Conclusion The left lumbar sympathetic trunk located in or close to OLIF surgery operation field in L2-L5 segments.There was a certain risk of sympathetic nerve injury in OLIF surgery,and the risk of sympathetic nerve injury was different in L2,3,L3,4,L4,5 segments.

Objective: To investigate the effect of modified transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) on coronal degenerative lumbar scoliosis (DLS) in adults with mild Drum Tower Hospital Classification type B and C coronal imbalance. Methods: From January 2011 to December 2015, 31 patients with mild coronal imbalance underwent long-segment fusion for DLS, 27 females and 4 males, with an average age of 63.1±5.5 years (52-76 years), were retrospectively analyzed. According to the coronal balance classification of Drum Tower degenerative scoliosis, there were 20 patients with type B and 11 patients with type C. The average follow-up time was 38.5±9.3 months. Sagittal parameters includingpelvic tilt (PT), PI-LL (pelvic incidence, PI; lumbar lordosis, LL), sagittal vertical axis (SVA) and coronal parameters includingCobb angle, coronal balance distance (CBD), lumbosacral inclination angle (when L ₅ is the lower fusion vertebra, the angle between L₄ upper endplate and horizontal line was measured; when S₁ or S₂ was the lower fusion vertebra, the angle between L ₅ upper endplate and horizontal line is measured), and clinical scores including Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) (excluding sexual life assessment)were recorded before and during the last follow-up. Complications such as internal fixation displacement, fracture and loss of correction were evaluated at the last follow-up. The main method of surgical correction was the modified TLIF operation on the distal compensatory curve and concave side. After the soft tissue is released, the ipsilateral intervertebral fusion cage was implanted to distract the intervertebral space. SPSS 20.0 was used for statistical analysis. All data were expressed as mean ±standard deviation. Paired t-test was used to evaluate the imaging measurement and clinical scores. Independent sample t-test was used to compare the databetween type B and C. P value less than 0.05 has statistical significance. Results: The mean operating time was 4.4±0.9 h (3.1-6.0 h) and the mean intraoperative bleeding was 777±249 ml (500-1 300 ml). For Sagittal balance, PI-LL was 21.7°±5.3° in 31 patients before operation, and the last follow-up was 7.4°±2.4° (t=16.41, P<0.001); PT was 32.6°±7.6° before operation, and the last follow-up was 24.1°±8.5° (t=15.32, P<0.001); SVA was 52.2±16.2 mm before operation, and the last follow-up was 25.5±13.8 mm (t=10.20, P<0.001). For coronal balance, the lumbosacral tilt angle was 8.8°±3.4°, and the last follow-up was 3.9°±2.1°. The average correction rate was 56.0%. The preoperative scoliosis Cobb angle was 41.5°±9.6°, and the last follow-up was 19.7°±6.7° (t=17.90, P <0.001). The average correction rate was 52.7%. The preoperative CBD was 4.3 ±0.7 mm, and last follow-up was 1.6 ± 0.8 mm (t=33.76, P < 0.001). In terms of clinical scores, the VAS score of 31 patients before operation was 6.5±1.0, and the last follow-up was 2.7±1.0 (t=15.97, P <0.001); the ODI score before operation was 34.8%+5.6%, and the last follow-up was 18.0%±5.4% (t=12.42, P <0.001). There were no significant differences in sagittal parameters, coronal parameters and clinical efficacy scores between group B and group C. Conclusion In adult DLS patients with mild coronal B-type and C-type imbalances, the application of modified TLIF interbody fusion and cage insertion in the distal convex side of lumbar scoliosis can achieve the levelization of lumbosacral region and correct coronal imbalance.

Objective: To summarize the clinical features of cervical spondylosis with distal upper extremity amyotrophy; and further analyze the clinical efficacy of cervical anterior decompression and fusion on cervical spondylosis with distal upper extremity amyotrophy. Methods: Thirty cases of cervical spondylosis with distal upper extremity amyotrophy were analyzed retrospectively from June 2006 to June 2015. nineteen males and eleven females with an average age of 55.20±9.08 years (41 to 72 years) were included. The preoperative course was 1 to 108 months with a median of 6 months. The muscle extent of the affected group, the segmentation and location of spinal canal stenosis, and the results of neurophysiological examination were analyzed. The muscular strength recovery of atrophic muscles was evaluated by Manual Muscle Testing (MMT), and the clinical satisfaction was assessed at the last followed up. Results: The muscles involved in patients of cervical spondylosis with distal upper extremity amyotrophy are mainly the thenar muscle (17 cases, 56.7%), interosseous muscle (15 cases, 50.0%), and shypothenar muscles (13 cases, 43.3%). Most cases of imaging findings showed multi-segmental degeneration, of which C_{5, 6} (24 cases, 80.0%), C_6,7 (21 cases, 70.0%) segments were most common, and the types of anterior compression: 23 segments (33.5%) of the central type, 37 segments (54.4%) of the lateral-central type, and 8 segments (11.8%) of the foramen type. Neuroelectrophysiological examination showed that cervical spinal cord anterior horn cells or nerve root damage, the most commonly involved segments of C₇, C₈, T₁(18 cases, 60.0%). The average follow-up time was 36.8 months. At the last follow-up, MMT assessment showed that thirteen patients (43.3%) in this group had muscle strength recovery for more than one grade at the last follow-up. The average clinical satisfaction was 73.4%. Conclusion The clinical diagnosis of cervical spondylosis with distal upper extremity amyotrophy requires a combination of clinical symptoms, imaging findings and neurophysiological examination results for comprehensive judgment. Cervical anterior decompression and fusion can effectively prevent the progression of cervical spondylosis in distal upper extremity amyotrophy patients, and some patients can get a good muscle recovery.