This month’s Spinal News International top 10 was dominated by research presented at the annual SRS and NASS spine meetings. The top three spots in October included 40-year follow-up looking at long-term curve progression of idiopathic scoliosis, the cost-effectiveness of robotic and navigational assistance in adult spinal deformity surgery and how percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy compares to microdiscectomy for sciatica. Plenty more high-quality research made the list as well as some exciting company announcements from the likes of SpineX, Stryker and NuVasive.
1. Long-term curve progression of idiopathic scoliosis: 40-year follow-up
In idiopathic scoliosis (IS) patients, long-term curve progression for curves between 30 and 50° at skeletal maturity is both substantial and comparable to curves that are greater than 50°, new research shows.
Although robotic and navigational assistance systems have a significantly higher upfront cost compared to existing techniques, the findings of a new study—presented at the North American Spine Society’s (NASS) annual meeting (12–15 October, Chicago, USA) by Peter Passias (NYU Langone Health, New York, USA)—show that the reductions in intraoperative invasiveness and operating room (OR) time they offer, pay great dividends in demonstrating the two-year cost-effectiveness of such technology in minimally-invasive adult spinal deformity surgery.
Percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy (PTED) is more cost-effective from a societal perspective at 24 months than microdiscectomy for patients with sciatica. This is according to research presented at the North American Spine Society’s (NASS) annual meeting (12–15 October, Chicago, USA) by Pravesh Gadjradj (Weill Cornell, Brain and Spine Centre, New York, USA), where it was a Value Award winner.
4. SpineX demonstrates novel technology to treat children with cerebral palsy
SpineX has announced the publication of the results of its first in human study using its proprietary non-surgical and non-invasive device, SCiP, to treat children with cerebral palsy.
5. SRS 2022: Preoperative carbohydrate drink can benefit paediatric spinal fusion patients
The use of a preoperative carbohydrate drink for paediatric spinal fusion patients is not only safe, but significantly improves time to return of bowel function and leads to a positive increase in postoperative comfort levels.
There is strong evidence that the use of high-dose tranexamic acid (TXA) is not associated with an increased risk of medical complications, compared to low-dose TXA or placebo, and there is moderate evidence to suggest that high-dose TXA reduces allogeneic transfusions compared to low-dose TXA.
Baseline quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI) is able to accurately predict the likelihood of deterioration and surgical intervention in degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) patients, new research suggests.
8. Scoliosis Research Society unveils its first female president
The Scoliosis Research Society (SRS), which was founded in 1966, has appointed its first ever female president. Serena Hu, professor of orthopaedic surgery at Stanford University (Stanford, USA) accepted her role as president of the SRS at the society’s 57th annual meeting (14–17 September 2022; Stockholm, Sweden), where she took over from previous incumbent, Christopher Shaffrey.
9. Stryker launches Q Guidance System with Spine Guidance Software
Stryker has announced the launch of its Q Guidance System for spine applications. The system combines new optical tracking options provided by a redesigned, state-of-the-art camera with sophisticated algorithms of the newly launched Spine Guidance Software to deliver more surgical planning and navigation capability than ever before, say the company.
10. NuVasive launches Reline Cervical for posterior cervical fusion
NuVasive has announced the expansion of its C360 portfolio following the commercial launch of Reline Cervical, a new fixation system for posterior cervical fusion (PCF), in targeted regions.