scholarly journals Does surgical treatment increase the progression of spinal cord injury in patients with ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament of cervical spine? A systematic review and meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 230949902098178
Author(s):  
Bi Zhang ◽  
Yufei Zhang ◽  
Bin Ma ◽  
Junchi Ma ◽  
Xiaoyong Chen ◽  
...  

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore if the surgical treatment will accelerate the progression of spinal cord injury (SCI) in patients with cervical Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) and if surgery will have better curative effect than conservative treatment. Methods: An extensive search of literature was implemented in PubMed, EMBASE, and other online databases. The quality of the included articles was evaluated according to the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale, as recommended by the Cochrane manual, and meta-analysis was performed using the review manage5.3 software. Results: No obvious statistical difference was observed in the rate of SCI progression (P > 0.05, OR 1.15 [0.66, 2.00]), cervical range of motion, (P > 0.05, weighted mean difference (WMD) 4.52 [−5.75, 14.79]), and Japanese Orthopedic Association scores before surgery (P > 0.05, WMD −2.78 [−7.87, 2.32]) between the surgical group and conservative treatment group. However the surgical group illustrated obviously higher neurofunctional recovery rate (P < 0.05, OR 6.07 [1.55, 23.78]) and postoperative JOA score of the surgery group (P < 0.05, WMD −0.77 [−1.21, −0.33]) than conservative group. Conclusions: Based on this meta-analysis, there is not enough evidence to indicate that surgery will accelerate the progress of SCI with OPLL. However, the superiority of surgical efficacy can be observed over conservative treatment in terms of relieving neurological symptoms.

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael H. Lawless ◽  
Evan J. Lytle ◽  
Andrea F. McGlynn ◽  
John A. Engler

OBJECTIVEThis study was performed to determine whether decompression of penetrating spinal cord injury (SCI) due to explosive shrapnel leads to greater neurological recovery than conservative management.METHODSIn accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a comprehensive literature search using PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and the Defense Technical Information Center public site was conducted on May 2, 2016. Studies that described penetrating SCI with shrapnel as an etiology, included surgical and/or conservative management, and demonstrated admission and follow-up neurological status were eligible for inclusion in this study. Odds ratios were calculated for the overall effect of surgical treatment on neurological recovery. Funnel plots were used to evaluate publication bias.RESULTSFive case series (Level IV evidence) met the study criteria, and 2 of them had estimable odds ratios for use in the Forest plot analysis. Among the patients from all 5 studies, 65% were injured by shrapnel, 25% by high-velocity bullet, 8% by low-velocity bullet, and 2% by an unknown cause. A total of 288 patients were included in the overall odds ratio calculations. Patients were stratified by complete and incomplete SCI. The meta-analysis showed no significant difference in outcomes between surgical and conservative management in the complete SCI cohort or the incomplete SCI cohort. Overall rates of improvement for complete SCI were 25% with surgery and 27% with conservative treatment (OR 1.07, 95% CI 0.44–2.61, p = 0.88); for incomplete SCI, 70% with surgery and 81% with conservative treatment (OR 1.67, 95% CI 0.68–4.05, p = 0.26).CONCLUSIONSThis study demonstrates no clear benefit to surgical decompression of penetrating SCI due predominantly to shrapnel. There is a considerable need for nonrandomized prospective cohort studies examining decompression and stabilization surgery for secondary and tertiary blast injuries.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Qing Chen ◽  
Dong Xie ◽  
Qiuju Yao ◽  
Lili Yang

Background. Disorder of locomotor function is universal in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and has a severe impairment on their quality of life. Metformin, the first-line antidiabetic drug, has been used to improve locomotor function in SCI rats through antioxidative mechanisms recently. Methods. A search strategy was conducted from databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, MEDLINE, and Scopus database until April 2021. The methodological quality of the animal experimental studies was assessed according to the Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory animal Experimentation’s Risk of Bias tool. The weighted mean difference was calculated with the random-effects model. Results. Seven eligible studies on SCI and metformin were reviewed. The meta-analysis indicated that SCI rats receiving metformin therapy showed a significant locomotor function recovery. Limitations and no obvious publication bias were presented in the studies. Conclusion. Metformin can promote the recovery of the locomotor function of SCI rats. However, the use of this meta-analysis was influenced due to the not high quality of studies. Consequently, more high-quality studies are necessary for preclinical studies of SCI in the future.


2021 ◽  
pp. 153857442110024
Author(s):  
Rozina Yasmin Choudhury ◽  
Kamran Basharat ◽  
Syeda Anum Zahra ◽  
Tien Tran ◽  
Lara Rimmer ◽  
...  

Over the decades, the Frozen Elephant Trunk (FET) technique has gained immense popularity allowing simplified treatment of complex aortic pathologies. FET is frequently used to treat aortic conditions involving the distal aortic arch and the proximal descending aorta in a single stage. Surgical preference has recently changed from FET procedures being performed at Zone 3 to Zone 2. There are several advantages of Zone 2 FET over Zone 3 FET including reduction in spinal cord injury, visceral ischemia, neurological and cardiovascular sequelae. In addition, Zone 2 FET is a technically less complicated procedure. Literature on the comparison between Zone 3 and Zone 2 FET is scarce and primarily observational and anecdotal. Therefore, further research is warranted in this paradigm to substantiate current surgical treatment options for complex aortic pathologies. In this review, we explore literature surrounding FET and the reasons for the shift in surgical preference from Zone 3 to Zone 2.


2021 ◽  
pp. 197140092110268
Author(s):  
Seyedeh Niloufar Rafiei Alavi ◽  
Arian Madani Neishaboori ◽  
Mahmoud Yousefifard

Background As there is no consensus over the efficacy of extracorporeal shockwave therapy in the management of spinal cord injury complications, the current meta-analysis aims to investigate preclinical evidence on the matter. Methods The search strategy was developed based on keywords related to ‘spinal cord injury’ and ‘extracorporeal shockwave therapy’. A primary search was conducted in Medline, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science until the end of 2020. Studies which administered extracorporeal shockwave therapy on spinal cord injury animal models and evaluated motor function and/or histological findings were included. The standardised mean difference with a 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. Results Seven articles were included. Locomotion was significantly improved in the extracorporeal shockwave therapy treated group (standardised mean difference 1.68, 95% CI 1.05–2.31, P=0.032). It seems that the efficacy of extracorporeal shockwave therapy with an energy flux density of 0.1 mJ/mm2 is higher than 0.04 mJ/mm2 ( P=0.044). Shockwave therapy was found to increase axonal sprouting (standardised mean difference 1.31, 95% CI 0.65, 1.96), vascular endothelial growth factor tissue levels (standardised mean difference 1.36, 95% CI 0.54, 2.18) and cell survival (standardised mean difference 2.49, 95% CI 0.93, 4.04). It also significantly prevents axonal degeneration (standardised mean difference 2.25, 95% CI 1.47, 3.02). Conclusion Extracorporeal shockwave therapy significantly improves locomotor recovery in spinal cord injury animal models through neural tissue regeneration. Nonetheless, in spite of the promising results and clinical application of extracorporeal shockwave therapy in various conditions, current evidence implies that designing clinical trials on extracorporeal shockwave therapy in the management of spinal cord injury may not be soon. Hence, further preclinical studies with the effort to reach the safest and the most efficient treatment protocol are needed.


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