Background A considerable number of patients with cervical spondylosis complain about one or multiple atypical symptoms such as vertigo, palpitations, headache, blurred vision, hypomnesia, and/or nausea. It remains unclear whether surgical intervention for cervical spondylosis can also effectively alleviate those symptoms. The current study was performed to see if anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion (ACDF) offers such an extra benefit for patients with cervical spondylosis. Objective To investigate if patients who received ACDF for the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy and/or radiculopathy can also achieve alleviation of certain atypical symptoms associated with cervical spondylosis after the surgery in the long run. Methods Sixty-seven patients who underwent ACDF for the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy and/or radiculopathy were involved in this study. All these patients also complained about various associated atypical symptoms. They were followed up for 26 to 145 months after the surgery. Severity and frequency scores of the atypical symptoms before the surgery and at last follow-up were compared by paired t tests. Results Most patients reported significantly alleviated symptoms at the last follow-up compared with before the surgery. The severity of vertigo, headache, nausea, and palpitations were significantly alleviated at the last follow-up (with p values of p < 0.001, p = 0.001, p = 0.022, p = 0.004, respectively). There were no significant changes in the severity of tinnitus (p = 0.182), blurred vision (p = 0.260), and hypomnesia (p = 0.821). Conclusion ACDF can significantly alleviate vertigo, headache, nausea, and palpitations in most patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy and/or radiculopathy, but it is not effective in alleviating symptoms such as tinnitus, blurred vision, and hypomnesia. It can be considered for alleviating atypical symptoms when other treatment options prove ineffective.

Background: Thoracolumbar burst fractures are a common traumatic vertebral fracture in the spine, and pedicle screw fixation has been widely performed as a safe and effective procedure. However, after the stabilization of the thoracolumbar burst fractures, whether or not to remove the pedicle screw implant remains controversial. This review aimed to assess the benefits and risks of pedicle screw instrument removal after fixation of thoracolumbar burst fractures. Methods: Data sources, including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Clinical trials.gov, were comprehensively searched. All types of human studies that reported the benefits and risks of implant removal after thoracolumbar burst fractures, were selected for inclusion. Clinical outcomes after implant removal were collected for further evaluation. Results: A total of 4051 papers were retrieved, of which 35 studies were eligible for inclusion in the review, including four case reports, four case series, and 27 observational studies. The possible risks of pedicle screw removal after fixation of thoracolumbar burst fractures include the progression of the kyphotic deformity and surgical complications (e.g., surgical site infection, neurovascular injury, worsening pain, revision surgery), while the potential benefits of pedicle screw removal mainly include improved segmental range of motion and alleviated pain and disability. Therefore, the potential benefits and possible risks should be weighed to support patient-specific clinical decision-making about the removal of pedicle screws after the successful fusion of thoracolumbar burst fractures. Conclusions: There was conflicting evidence regarding the benefits and harms of implant removal after successful fixation of thoracolumbar burst fractures, and the current literature does not support the general recommendation for removal of the pedicle screw instruments, which may expose the patients to unnecessary complications and costs. Both surgeons and patients should be aware of the indications and have appropriate expectations of the benefits and risks of implant removal. The decision to remove the implant or not should be made individually and cautiously by the surgeon in consultation with the patient. Further studies are warranted to clarify this issue. Level of evidence: level 1.

Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, total disk replacement and open door laminoplasty have been widely used to treat patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy and/or radiculopathy. In our clinical practice, many patients with cervical spondylosis also complain of headache, and wish to know if the surgical treatment for cervical spondylosis can also alleviate this symptom. Considering that there is no literature concerning this extra benefit of surgical manipulation on cervical spondylosis, we have carried out this retrospective study. Among the patients treated with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, total disk replacement and open door laminoplasty in our institute for cervical spondylotic myelopathy and/or radiculopathy between February 2002 to March 2011, 108 of whom that have complained about headache at the same time were included in this study. Those patients were followed by 25 to 145 months. Severity of headache before the surgery and at the last follow up was recorded by VAS pain scores and compared among the patients with different surgical methods using SPSS17.0 software. One way ANOVA was used to compare VAS scores between the groups, paired sample t-tests were used to compare the differences in a group at different time points. Headache was significantly alleviated in all groups (P < 0.01). Respectively, 75.0 % of the patients in the ACDF group, 84.6 % of the patients in the TDR group and 82.2 % of the patients in the laminoplasty group were significantly relieved of the headache after the surgery. No significant differences were found with the VAS score at the last follow up among the groups (P > 0.05). No significant differences were found among the groups comparing the degree of alleviation of VAS scores before and after the surgery (P > 0.05). Considering that all the three procedures in the current study have achieved similar effect on alliviating headache in patients with cevical myelopathy, and that what they have in common was that was the decompression of spinal cord, it can be assumed that the headache associated with cervical spondylosis may be the result of compression on the spinal cord. Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, total disk replacement and open door laminoplasty can all significantly alleviate headache in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy and/or radiculopathy. No surgical technique is better than any other technique on alleviating cervical headache associated with cervical spondylotic myelopathy and/or radiculopathy.

A retrospective clinical study was conducted. The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical outcomes of intraoperative 3D navigation (ITN) and ultrasonography during posterior decompression and instrumented fusion for thoracic myelopathy due to ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL). The symptoms caused by thoracic-ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (T-OPLL) are usually progressive and do not respond to conservative treatment-surgical intervention is the only effective treatment option. Various methods have been described for the treatment of symptomatic T-OPLL, all of which have limitations. The study included 18 patients with T-OPLL who underwent posterior decompression with instrumented fusion from 2006 to 2011. A staged operative procedure was used. First, pedicle screws were placed with ITN and a wide laminectomy was performed with resection of ossification of the ligamentum flavum (if present). With insufficient decompression on intraoperative ultrasonography, additional circumferential decompression was performed through a transpedicular approach. ITN-guided OPLL resection was performed using a burr attached to a navigational tracker. In all cases, posterior instrumented fusion was performed in situ. The outcomes were evaluated with the modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association scores and recovery rates. Intraoperative ultrasonography showed that posterior laminectomy was sufficient in 6 patients; the remaining 12 were treated with additional circumferential decompression. The follow-up period ranged from 1 to 6 years (mean period, 2.8 y). Postoperative transient neurological deterioration occurred in 1 patient, and cerebrospinal fluid leakage occurred in 4 patients. All patients showed neurological recovery with a mean Japanese Orthopaedic Association score that improved from 5.5 points preoperatively to 8.5 points at the final follow-up and a mean recovery rate of 54.5%. Intraoperative ultrasonography and ITN are safe and reliable imaging methods for posterior decompression and instrumented fusion for thoracic myelopathy caused by OPLL.

Study Design.: Retrospective observational study. Objective.: To assess the accuracy and reliability of standing lateral lumbar radiographs for measurements of spinopelvic parameters, compared with whole-spine EOS^® images. Summary of Background Data.: Lateral lumbar radiographs are commonly used for measurements of spinopelvic parameters. However, variable magnifications by fan-beam x-ray projection at margins may cause measurement errors. Methods.: Fifty consecutive patients with standing lateral lumbar radiographs and whole-spine EOS^® images were retrospectively reviewed from March to July in 2019. Two orthopedic surgeons (observers) independently measured the spinopelvic parameters including pelvic incidence (PI), pelvic tilt (PT), sacral slope (SS), and lumbar lordosis (LL) on the computers. These spinopelvic parameters of each patient were measured twice on both lateral lumbar radiograph and EOS^® image by two observers with the usage of Surgimap software. The measurement difference and agreement of each parameter value between lateral lumbar radiographs and EOS^® images were analyzed by paired t test and the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) respectively. Intra- and inter-observer's reliabilities of both imaging methods were assessed by ICC. Results.: The measurement difference of each spinopelvic parameter on EOS^® images and lateral lumbar radiographs was less than 1° on average. Only the measurement difference of PI value revealed statistically significant (P = 0.020) with 0.9° discrepancy (95% confidential interval: 0.2–1.6), which indicated no clinical significance. The ICC values of lateral lumbar radiographs and EOS^® images were more than 0.870 (range, 0.872–0.976), thus showed good to excellent measurement agreement between both imaging methods. All the ICC values for evaluating intra- and inter-observer reliability were greater than 0.960 (range, 0.963–0.993), indicating excellent reliability for observer's measurements. Conclusion.: Measurements of spinopelvic parameters (PI, PT, SS, and LL) on standing lateral lumbar radiographs are accurate and reliable, which are comparable to whole-spine EOS^® images. Level of Evidence: 3