Rating Post-Operative Backs (Part I)

1997 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
James B. Talmage

Abstract The AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, Fourth Edition, uses the Injury Model to rate impairment in people who have experienced back injuries. Injured individuals who have not required surgery can be rated using differentiators. Challenges arise when assessing patients whose injuries have been treated surgically before the patient is rated for impairment. This article discusses five of the most common situations: 1) What is the impairment rating for an individual who has had an injury resulting in sciatica and who has been treated surgically, either with chemonucleolysis or with discectomy? 2) What is the impairment rating for an individual who has a back strain and is operated on without reasonable indications? 3) What is the impairment rating of an individual with sciatica and a foot drop (major anterior tibialis weakness) from L5 root damage? 4) What is the rating for an individual who is injured, has true radiculopathy, undergoes a discectomy, and is rated as Category III but later has another injury and, ultimately, a second disc operation? 5) What is the impairment rating for an older individual who was asymptomatic until a minor strain-type injury but subsequently has neurogenic claudication with severe surgical spinal stenosis on MRI/myelography? [Continued in the September/October 1997 The Guides Newsletter]

2002 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 8-10
Author(s):  
Christopher R. Brigham ◽  
Leon H. Ensalada

Abstract Recurrent radiculopathy is evaluated by a different approach in the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides), Fifth Edition, compared to that in the Fourth Edition. The AMA Guides, Fifth Edition, specifies several occasions on which the range-of-motion (ROM), not the Diagnosis-related estimates (DRE) method, is used to rate spinal impairments. For example, the AMA Guides, Fifth Edition, clarifies that ROM is used only for radiculopathy caused by a recurrent injury, including when there is new (recurrent) disk herniation or a recurrent injury in the same spinal region. In the AMA Guides, Fourth Edition, radiculopathy was rated using the Injury Model, which is termed the DRE method in the Fifth Edition. Also, in the Fourth Edition, for the lumbar spine all radiculopathies resulted in the same impairment (10% whole person permanent impairment), based on that edition's philosophy that radiculopathy is not quantifiable and, once present, is permanent. A rating of recurrent radiculopathy suggests the presence of a previous impairment rating and may require apportionment, which is the process of allocating causation among two or more factors that caused or significantly contributed to an injury and resulting impairment. A case example shows the divergent results following evaluation using the Injury Model (Fourth Edition) and the ROM Method (Fifth Edition) and concludes that revisions to the latter for rating permanent impairments of the spine often will lead to different results compared to using the Fourth Edition.


2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 552-556
Author(s):  
Guru Dutta Satyarthee ◽  
Luis Rafael Moscote-Salazar ◽  
Anil Kothiwala ◽  
A.K. Mahapatra

Abstract Wasting of muscle is usually a feature of lower motor neuron pathology, astonishingly parasagittal intracranial lesion affecting parietal lobe of cerebral hemisphere may be associated with Wasting of contralateral calf muscle. It can be associated with spastic foot drop. Foot drop is a common neurological state presenting with weakness involving anterior tibialis muscle causing inability of foot extension. Foot drop is commonly caused lower motor neuron disease pathology and a common cause includes L4-L5 radiculopathy or peroneal peripheral neuropathy. However, extremely rarely can be caused by intracranial pathology e.g. falcine meningioma and represents an important localization sign. Authors report an interesting case of calf muscle wasting caused by falcine meningioma, which may escape detection to remind rare but extremely important neurological localizing sign and ask for through and further neurological evaluation prior to concluding a final neurological diagnosis.


2003 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 0-0
Author(s):  
Valentinas Uvarovas ◽  
Giedrius Kvederas ◽  
Igoris Šatkauskas

Valentinas Uvarovas, Giedrius Kvederas, Igoris ŠatkauskasVilniaus universiteto Ortopedijos, traumatologijos ir plastinės chirurgijos klinikaVilniaus greitosios pagalbos universitetinė ligoninėŠiltnamių g. 29, LT-2043 VilniusEl paštas: [email protected] Pasaulyje ženkliai auga pagyvenusių žmonių populiacija, kartu daugėja ligų, kuriomis dažniausiai sergama perkopus į antrą gyvenimo pusę. Viena iš tokių ligų yra stuburo kanalo stenozė, t. y. susiaurėjimas. Dažniausia stuburo kanalo stenozės priežastis yra su amžiumi progresuojantys stuburo degeneraciniai pokyčiai. Ne visada arklio uodegos ar nervų šaknelių spaudimas sukelia dirginimo simptomus, tačiau progresuojant patologiniams anatominiams ir fiziologiniams pokyčiams gali išryškėti klinika. Kartais rentgenologiniai duomenys neatspindi klinikos, todėl labai svarbu tiksliai įvertinti ligos simptomus, jų eigą bei rentgenologinius duomenis, kad būtų pasirinkta tinkama gydymo taktika. Prasminai žodžiai: stuburo kanalo stenozė, neurogeninė klaudikacija, nervinės šaknelės, arklio uodega Lumbar spinal stenosis: clinical anatomy, diagnostics Valentinas Uvarovas, Giedrius Kvederas, Igoris Šatkauskas Lumbar spinal stenosis remains one of the most frequently encountered clinical important degenerative spinal disorders in the ageing population. Spinal stenosis is a narrowing or stricture of the spinal canal. Cauda equina and nerve root compression are noted in many asymptomatic individuals. The spinal degenerative process associated with ageing leads to pathoanatomical and pathophysiological changes with occasional clinical consequences. With progressive degenerative changes and compression, spinal stenosis may become symptomatic, although the severity of the symptoms is not necessarily associated with the magnitude of the compression seen on imaging studies. A thorough understanding of the etiology, pathologic features and a correlation between the symptoms and the precise location of the thecal sac and nerve root are very important in evaluating the imaging studies and planning appropriate treatment. Keywords: lumbar spinal stenosis, neurogenic claudication, spinal nerve root, cauda equina


2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-28
Author(s):  
Bishnu Babu Thapa ◽  
Sushil Rana Magar ◽  
Pankaj Chand ◽  
Bachhu Ram KC

Introduction: Spinal stenosis mostly occur in lumbar spine and causes back pain, leg pain & neurogenic claudication. Although conservative treatment is mainstay, decompression with or without fusion (with or without instrumentation) can be considered in non-responsive cases. However, long term outcome of the surgery is controversial. The aim of our study was to analyze the outcome of surgery in lumbar spinal stenosis in terms of post-operative pain and claudication distance.Methods: A prospective analysis of patients who underwent decompression or decompression with fusion (with or without instrumentation), after failure of 3-6 months conservative treatment, for lumbar spinal stenosis were conducted. Only those who were operated and followed up for at least two years were included.Their preop and postop VAS score and walking distance compared.Results: Of 22 cases enrolled in this study, VAS score was improved in 21 patients and walking distance increased. Only one patient complained of increase in pain score at 24 months.Conclusion: Operative management is a good option for selected patients, 21 out of 22 have improved VAS and claudication distance in our study


Author(s):  
Carlo Ammendolia ◽  
Kent J Stuber ◽  
Elisabeth Rok ◽  
Raja Rampersaud ◽  
Carol A Kennedy ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 08 (01) ◽  
pp. 047-052 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amit Aiwale ◽  
Pankajkumar Patel ◽  
Syed Paspala ◽  
T. Murthy

Abstract Background The term ‘tandem spinal stenosis’ (TSS) was first introduced by Dagi et al to describe concurrent symptomatic cervical and lumbar spinal stenosis. A typical clinical picture includes intermittent neurogenic claudication, myelopathy, and polyradiculopathy in both the upper and lower extremities. The incidence of TSS ranges from 0.12 to 28%. Methods We studied patients who presented with tandem canal stenosis and operated cervicolumbar decompression with or without fusion procedures by two separate neurosurgical teams simultaneously from June 2015 to 2017 with follow-up period of minimum 6 months. Results We had 30 (66.66%) male and 15 (33.33%) female patients who underwent simultaneous cervical and lumbar spine surgeries. The average age was 57.8 years (male) and 53.9 years (female). Cervical canal stenosis was graded as per magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) morphological grades of stenosis by Kang et al and lumbar grading, was done as per Schizas et al grading system. The mean duration of complaints in cervical and lumbar compression was 29.54 ± 44.99 months and 30.55 ± 38.11 months, respectively. The mean preoperative Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score of was 10.46 ± 1.39, whereas the postoperative mean JOA score was 11.93 ± 1.28, and mean preoperative (38.59 ± 16.52) and postoperative (29.22 ± 9.38) Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores showed a statistically significant difference (p = 0.0001). Conclusion Patients with TSS are elderly and have associated comorbidities, still simultaneous cervical and lumbar surgery is feasible with the good outcome if you have two neurosurgical teams operating simultaneously and having good other super specialty teams’ support. It can be timesaving and cost effective for patients. Also, it avoids patients from undergoing exposure to two separate surgical and anesthetic stress.


Pain Medicine ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. S32-S44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Deer ◽  
Dawood Sayed ◽  
John Michels ◽  
Youssef Josephson ◽  
Sean Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is a degenerative spinal condition affecting nearly 50% of patients presenting with lower back pain. The goal of this review is to present and summarize the current data on how LSS presents in various populations, how it is diagnosed, and current therapeutic strategies. Properly understanding the prevalence, presentation, and treatment options for individuals suffering from LSS is critical to providing patients the best possible care. Results The occurrence of LSS is associated with advanced age. In elderly patients, LSS can be challenging to identify due to the wide variety of presentation subtleties and common comorbidities such as degenerative disc disease. Recent developments in imaging techniques can be useful in accurately identifying the precise location of the spinal compression. Treatment options can range from conservative to surgical, with the latter being reserved for when patients have neurological compromise or conservative measures have failed. Once warranted, there are several surgical techniques at the physician’s disposal to best treat each individual case.


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