Faculty Bibliography

Objective. Spinal cord stimulator (SCS) parameter settings have been well studied; however, the goal of this exploratory study was to examine the SCS parameters used during intra-operative stimulation (IOS) at trial lead placement. Methods. In this retrospective study, we report the IOS parameter settings for 22 patients who underwent thoracic SCS lead trial for treatment of refractory low back and/or leg pain. Results. Paresthesia coverage was shown to differ depending upon the pain syndrome and the region involved (back and/or leg, p = 0.03). Certain stimulation parameters were demonstrated to be linked, including pulse width with rate (p = 0.04) and bipolar activation distance with amplitude (p < 0.01). Important variations in field configuration practice patterns also emerged. Conclusions. Larger prospective studies are required to confirm and extend the current results. The ultimate goal for this report is to establish a foundation for future studies to create an evidence-based standardized algorithm for IOS to enhance the success rate of SCS trial screening

Of the estimated 1.5 million osteoporosis-related fragility fractures that occur each year in the United States, vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) are the most common. It is estimated that approximately 20% to 25% of people who sustain a VCF have symptoms severe enough to seek medical attention. However, nonoperative outpatient management for VCFs is often successful in only 75% to 80% of cases. In this article, we provide a comprehensive review of VCFs and of the surgical alternatives for VCF management, including indications for surgical intervention, overview of surgical techniques, clinical results, complications, and areas of future investigation

The ability to identify intraoperatively patients with an infected prosthesis at the time of a revision procedure assists the surgeon in selecting appropriate management. The results of 413 intraoperative Gram stains were compared with the results of operative cultures, permanent histology, and the surgeon's intraoperative assessment to determine the ability of Gram stains to identify periprosthetic infection. Gram staining correctly identified the presence of infection in 10 of the 68 cases that met study criteria for infection (sensitivity of 14.7%). Four false-positive Gram stains were encountered. Intraoperative Gram stains do not have adequate sensitivity to be helpful in identifying periprosthetic infection and should not be performed on a routine basis. They may be helpful, however, in cases in which gross purulence is encountered to assist in the selection of initial antibiotic therapy. The use of intraoperative Gram staining alone is inadequate for ruling out infection at the time of revision total joint arthroplasty