Cross-cultural adaptation of Cantonese (Hong Kong) Oswestry Disability Index version 2.1b

PURPOSE

Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) was established by Fairbank in 1989 to assess functional disabilities in low back pain (LBP). It was last updated in 2019 as ODI version 2.1b (ODI AU_2.1b). ODI was first translated into Simplified Chinese Oswestry Disability Index (CODI) in 2008 by Lue. The construct validity, internal consistency, level of agreement and the floor and ceiling effects of CODI were found unclear by Yao in 2016. This study will verify how well the adapted Cantonese-Hong Kong Oswestry Disability Index version 2.1b (HKCODI) aligns with ODI AU_2.1b in the Southern Chinese population.

METHODS

The translation of ODI AU_2.1b was performed according to guidelines from MAPI Research Trust and American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Psychometric properties of HKCODI were tested statistically by Pearson's correlation, Cronbach's Alpha and Intraclass  Correlation  Coefficient (ICC).

RESULTS

A total of 200 subjects (109 males, 91 females) aged from 15 to 85 (mean age = 58.91) with LBP scored from 3/10 to 10/10 in the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) were recruited in the Occupational Therapy Department of a tertiary referral center. HKCODI demonstrated strong construct validity in comparing with Hong Kong Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (HKRMDQ) (r = 0.666, p = 0.000), Short Form Health Survey (SF-36)  Physical Composite Summary (- 0.700, p = 0.000) and VAS (0.487, p = 0.000). Excellent internal consistency and test-retest reliability were confirmed with Cronbach's Alpha of 0.997 and ICC of 0.993 at 95% confidence level.

CONCLUSION

Cross-cultural adaptation of ODI AU_2.1b has been translated and validated as   HKCODI and Item-8 (Sex Life) was suggested to skip for patient older than 60. HKCODI is a fully self-administered and highly reliable tool in assessing the functional disability of patients with LBP in the Southern Chinese population.

Low Radiation X-rays: Benefiting People Globally by Reducing Cancer Risks

Modern medical imaging facilitates the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases. However, few people are aware of the cons of radiation exposure from medical imaging. Emerging evidence reveals that cumulative doses of radiation exposure will increase the morbidity and mortality of pertaining cancer. As a special young population, patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) suffer more radiation harms from repeated diagnostic imaging, most of which can be avoided in clinical practice. Accumulating evidence highlights reduced cancer risks of radiation exposure for AIS patients with low/zero radiation imaging modalities proposed, amongst which easy conversion from anterior-posterior (AP) to posterior-anterior (PA) projection for whole-spine radiographs should be stressed. It can greatly reduce radiation doses without compromising the quality of diagnostic imaging. Tight collimation combined with PA projection can further reduce radiation harms, and need to be spread to benefit people globally.

Preventing Fusion Mass Shift Avoids Postoperative Distal Curve Adding-on in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

BACKGROUND

Surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is only complete after achieving fusion to maintain the correction obtained intraoperatively. The instrumented or fused segments can be referred to as the "fusion mass". In patients with AIS, the ideal fusion mass strategy has been established based on fulcrum-bending radiographs for main thoracic curves. Ideally, the fusion mass should achieve parallel endplates of the upper and lower instrumented vertebra and correct any "shift" for truncal balance. Distal adding-on is an important element to consider in AIS surgery. This phenomenon represents a progressive increase in the number of vertebrae included distally in the primary curvature and it should be avoided as it is associated with unsatisfactory cosmesis and an increased risk of revision surgery. However, it remains unknown whether any fusion mass shift, or shift in the fusion mass or instrumented segments, affects global spinal balance and distal adding-on after curve correction surgery in patients with AIS.

QUESTIONS/PURPOSES

(1) To investigate the relationship among postoperative fusion mass shift, global balance, and distal adding-on phenomenon in patients with AIS; and (2) to identify a cutoff value of fusion mass shift that will lead to distal adding-on.

METHODS

This was a retrospective study of patients with AIS from a single institution. Between 2006 and 2011 we performed 69 selective thoracic fusions for patients with main thoracic AIS. All patients were evaluated preoperatively and at 2 years postoperatively. The Cobb angle between the cranial and caudal endplates of the fusion mass and the coronal shift between them, which was defined as "fusion mass shift", were measured. Patients with a fusion mass Cobb angle greater than 20° were excluded to specifically determine the effect of fusion mass shift on distal adding-on phenomenon. Fusion mass shift was empirically set as 20 mm for analysis. Therefore, of the 69 patients who underwent selective thoracic fusion, only 52 with a fusion mass Cobb angle of 20° or less were recruited for study. We defined patients with a fusion mass shift of 20 mm or less as the balanced group and those with a fusion mass shift greater than 20 mm as the unbalanced group. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the cutoff point of fusion mass shift for adding-on.

RESULTS

Of the 52 patients studied, fusion mass shift (> 20 mm) was noted in 11 (21%), and six of those patients had distal adding-on at final followup. Although global spinal balance did not differ significantly between patients with or without fusion mass shift, the occurrence of adding-on phenomenon was significantly higher in the unbalanced group (55% (six of 11 patients), odds ratio [OR], 8.6; 95% CI, 2-39; p < 0.002) than the balanced group (12% [five of 41 patients]). Based on the ROC curve analysis, a fusion mass shift more than 18 mm was observed as the cutoff point for distal adding-on phenomenon (area under the curve, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.5-0.9; likelihood ratio, 5.0; sensitivity, 0.64; specificity, 0.73; positive predictive value, 39% [seven of 18 patients]; negative predictive value, 88% [30 of 34 patients]; OR, 4.8; 95% CI, 1-20; p = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study illustrates the substantial utility of the fulcrum-bending radiograph in determining fusion levels that can avoid fusion mass shift; thereby, underlining its importance in designing personalized surgical strategies for patients with scoliosis. Preoperatively, determining fusion levels by fulcrum-bending radiographs to avoid residual fusion mass shift is imperative. Intraoperatively, any fusion mass shift should be corrected to avoid distal adding-on, reoperation, and elevated healthcare costs.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level II, prognostic study.

Cervical spinal canal stenosis first presenting after spinal cord injury due to minor trauma: An insight into the value of preventive decompression

PURPOSE

Patients with pre-existing cervical spinal canal stenosis (CSCS) may have minimal or no symptoms. However, performing preventive decompression is controversial as the incidence of CSCS leading to severe cord injury is unknown. Hence, this study aims to revisit the threshold for surgery in "silent" CSCS by reviewing the neurologic outcomes of patients with undiagnosed CSCS who sustained a cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI).

METHODS

Two groups of subjects were recruited for analysis. Firstly, patients with trauma-induced CSCI without fracture or dislocation were included. Pre-existing CSCS was diagnosed by MRI measurements. The second group consisted of asymptomatic subjects recruited from the general population who also had MRIs performed. Canal sizes were compared between this control group and the patient group. Within the patient group, neurological assessments and outcomes by Frankel classification were performed in patients treated surgically or conservatively.

RESULTS

32 patients with CSCS were recruited. The mean spinal canal sagittal diameter (disc-level) of all CSCS cases was 5.3 ± 1.4 mm (1.3-8.2). In comparison, the diameter was 10.5 ± 1.7 mm (6.6-14.6) in the 47 asymptomatic individuals recruited from the general population. Decompression was performed in 17 patients and conservative treatment in 15. Mean follow-up was 19.3 ± 17.0 months (6-84). At the final follow-up, 3 patients (9.3%) returned to their pre-injury Frankel grade, whereas 26 patients (83.3%) lost one or more neurological grade. Three patients (9.3%) died.

CONCLUSIONS

Majority of patients with "silent" CSCS who sustained cervical cord injuries did not return to their pre-injury neurological status. All of these subjects have pre-existing canal stenosis hence the risk of cord injury. Given the poor neurological outcome of CSCS, a lower threshold for surgery could be indicated to avoid these disastrous injuries. However, before making any conclusive recommendation we must first identify the prevalence of "silent" CSCS in the general population and the risk of developing spinal cord injury with more prospective population-based studies.

Efficacy of Postoperative Pain Management Using Continuous Local Anesthetic Infusion at the Iliac Crest Bone Graft Site in Patients with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Parallel, Double-Blinded, Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial

Study Design Randomized controlled trial. Objective Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a common spinal deformity that affects every population. In severe deformity, surgical intervention is performed. Autogenous iliac crest bone graft (ICBG) harvesting remains a common procedure worldwide for scoliosis surgery. Postoperative pain at the ICBG donor site is a major concern in patients undergoing spine surgery that affects postoperative functional outcome and consumes health care resources. Previous studies have noted a decrease in pain and postoperative analgesic use with the application of continuous infusion of anesthetic at the ICBG site in comparison with placebo. However, there is lack of evidence addressing the efficacy of continuous anesthetic infusion at the ICBG site in young patients and in particular those with spinal deformity, such as AIS. As such, this parallel, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial addressed the pain management efficacy of continuous anesthetic infusion versus saline at the ICBG site in patients with AIS during the immediate postoperative period. Methods Participants were randomized into two groups. Group A (control subjects) received 3 mL per hour of saline locally at the ICBG site, and group B (treatment subjects) received a constant rate of infusion of 3 mL per hour of 0.25% levobupivacaine. Both groups received their postoperative intervention for 47 hours. All subjects and outcome assessors were blinded to the type of intervention. Utilizing the visual analog pain scale, pain was assessed at the primary spine surgical site, ICBG site, and contralateral ICBG site. Overall physical pain was assessed by the McGill Pain Questionnaire. The degree of analgesic use and complications were also evaluated. All outcomes were assessed up until the fourth day of the patients' hospitalization following surgery. Results Twelve subjects were recruited (five in group A; seven in group B). No difference was noted at baseline regarding age, weight, height, arm span, sex, curve type, instrumented and fused levels, length of hospitalization, and pain scores between groups. Postoperatively, no difference was noted in surgical site pain between groups (p > 0.05). However, decreased ICBG and contralateral ICBG pain decreased twofold in group B patients in comparison with group A. Similarly, group B subjects had notably decreased postoperative overall pain scores (group A, mean 15.3; group B, mean 3.8). No significant differences were noted for the pain scores due to the small sample size. Conclusions This study is the first with a robust level I study design to assess the efficacy of continuous infusion of analgesia into the ICBG site in young patients with AIS. This pilot study noted a trend that continuous anesthetic infusion reduces pain at the ICBG site and may further decrease overall physical bodily pain. This study further established a sample size calculation to facilitate large-scale studies addressing these parameters. This study provides further support of postoperative pain management options for children with spinal deformities.

An alternative to a randomised control design for assessing the efficacy and effectiveness of bracing in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that assessed the efficacy of bracing for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis have suffered from small sample sizes, low compliance and lack of willingness to participate. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of a comprehensive cohort study for evaluating both the efficacy and the effectiveness of bracing in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Patients with curves at greater risk of progression were invited to join a randomised controlled trial. Those who declined were given the option to remain in the study and to choose whether they wished to be braced or observed. Of 87 eligible patients (5 boys and 63 girls) identified over one year, 68 (78%) with mean age of 12.5 years (10 to 15) consented to participate, with a mean follow-up of 168 weeks (0 to 290). Of these, 19 (28%) accepted randomisation. Of those who declined randomisation, 18 (37%) chose a brace. Patients who were more satisfied with their image were more likely to choose bracing (Odds Ratio 4.1; 95% confidence interval 1.1 to 15.0; p = 0.035). This comprehensive cohort study design facilitates the assessment of both efficacy and effectiveness of bracing in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, which is not feasible in a conventional randomised controlled trial.

Quantitative assessment of column-specific degeneration in cervical spondylotic myelopathy based on diffusion tensor tractography

PURPOSE

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is a common spinal cord disorder in the elderly. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has been shown to be of great value for evaluating the microstructure of nerve tracts in the spinal cord. Currently, the quantitative assessment of the degeneration on the specific tracts in CSM is still rare. The aim of the present study was to use tractography-based quantification to investigate the column-specific degeneration in CSM.

METHODS

A total of 43 volunteers were recruited with written informed consent, including 20 healthy subjects and 23 CSM patients. Diffusion MRI was taken by 3T MRI scanner. Fiber tractography was performed using TrackVis to reconstruct the white matter tracts of the anterior, lateral and posterior column on the bilateral sides. The DTI metrics acquired from tractography, including fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD) and radial diffusivity (RD), were compared between healthy subjects and CSM patients.

RESULTS

Compared to healthy subjects, FA was found significantly lower in the lateral (Healthy 0.64 ± 0.07 vs. CSM 0.53 ± 0.08) and posterior column (Healthy 0.67 ± 0.08 vs. CSM 0.47 ± 0.08) (p < 0.001), while MD, AD and RD were significantly higher in the anterior, lateral and posterior column in CSM (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Loss of microstructural integrity was detected in the lateral and posterior column in CSM. Tractography-based quantification was capable of evaluating the subtle pathological insult within white matter on a column-specific basis, which exhibited potential clinical value for in vivo evaluation of the severity of CSM.

Magnetically controlled growing rods for severe spinal curvature in young children: a prospective case series

BACKGROUND

Scoliosis in skeletally immature children is often treated by implantation of a rod to straighten the spine. Rods can be distracted (lengthened) as the spine grows, but patients need many invasive operations under general anaesthesia. Such operations are costly and associated with negative psychosocial outcomes. We assessed the effectiveness and safety of a new magnetically controlled growing rod (MCGR) for non-invasive outpatient distractions.

METHODS

We implanted the MCGR in five patients, two of whom have now reached 24 months' follow-up. Each patient underwent monthly outpatient distractions. We used radiography to measure the magnitude of the spinal curvature, rod distraction length, and spinal length. We assessed clinical outcome by measuring the degree of pain, function, mental health, satisfaction with treatment, and procedure-related complications.

FINDINGS

In the two patients with 24 months' follow-up, the mean degree of scoliosis, measured by Cobb angle, was 67° (SD 10°) before implantation and 29° (4°) at 24 months. Length of the instrumented segment of the spine increased by a mean of 1·9 mm (0·4 mm) with each distraction. Mean predicted versus actual rod distraction lengths were 2·3 mm (1·2 mm) versus 1·4 mm (0·7 mm) for patient 1, and 2·0 mm (0·2 mm) and 2·1 mm (0·7 mm) versus 1·9 mm (0·6 mm) and 1·7 mm (0·8 mm) for patient 2's right and left rods, respectively. Throughout follow-up, both patients had no pain, had good functional outcome, and were satisfied with the procedure. No MCGR-related complications were noted.

INTERPRETATION

The MCGR procedure can be safely and effectively used in outpatient settings, and minimises surgical scarring and psychological distress, improves quality of life, and is more cost-effective than is the traditional growing rod procedure. The technique could be used for non-invasive correction of abnormalities in other disorders.

FUNDING

Ellipse Technologies.

Spinal cord compression secondary to brown tumour in a patient on long-term haemodialysis: a case report

Brown tumours may occur secondary to hyperparathyroidism in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF). Diagnosing a spinal brown tumour causing cord compression requires a high index of suspicion. We report a 65-year-old woman, who had been on haemodialysis for CRF for over 10 years, who presented with leg weakness and back pain over the thoracolumbar junction. She had a brown tumour at T8 causing subacute spinal cord compression. Ambulation was regained after surgical decompression and stabilisation. Adherence to the National Kidney Foundation guidelines in the management of patients with CRF may prevent renal osteodystrophy. Treatment of spinal brown tumour depends on the severity of the neurological deficit. Remineralization is expected after correction of the parathyroid level, thus negating the need for total excision of the parathyroid glands.

Surgical wound infection

OBJECTIVE: To review the risk factors for surgical wound infection; the use of prophylactic antibiotics in the prevention of wound infection; and the benefits of wound surveillance programmes to reduce the rate of surgical wound infection. DATA SOURCES: Medline literature search and review of published work on surgical wound infection, and the references cited in them. STUDY SELECTION: Critical studies containing supporting evidence were selected. DATA EXTRACTION: Data were extracted independently by multiple observers. DATA SYNTHESIS: Factors that affect the susceptibility of a wound to infection include a pre-existing illness, the duration of the operative procedure, wound contamination, three or more diagnoses at the time of discharge, and abdominal operations. Antibiotic prophylaxis can decrease postoperative morbidity, shorten hospital stay, and reduce overall costs attributable to infection; the choice of antibiotic depends on the wound class. Wound surveillance can also decrease wound infection rates. CONCLUSION: Surgical wound infections are common and consume a considerable portion of health care finances. A reduction in the infection rate to a minimal level, however, can be achieved by the judicious use of antibiotic prophylaxis and the use of an organised system of wound surveillance and reporting.

Postmenopausal uterine bleeding of nonorganic cause

Eighty-nine patients with postmenopausal uterine bleeding were studied focusing on the nonorganic causes of bleeding. Atrophic endometrium was found in 82%, proliferative endometrium in 7%, and secretory endometrium in 1% of patients. Carcinoma was uncommon, found in only 7% of patients. Hysteroscopy was an invaluable adjunct to dilatation and curettage in diagnosing bleeding due to atrophic endometrium as 42% of such cases yielded no tissue on curettage. The clinical entity of bleeding atrophic endometrium is discussed.