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Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 96-B, Issue SUPP_11 | Pages 276 - 276
1 Jul 2014
Nasto L Colangelo D Sernia C Di Meco E Fabbriciani C Fantoni M Pola E
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Summary

Pyogenic spondylodiscitis is an uncommon but severe spinal infection. In majority of cases treatment is based on intravenous antibiotics and rigid brace immobilization. Posterior percutaneous spinal instrumentation is a safe alternative procedure in relieving pain, preventing deformity and neurological compromise.

Introduction

Pyogenic spondylodiscitis (PS) is an uncommon but severe spinal infection. Patients affected by a non-complicated PS and treatment is based on intravenous antibiotics and rigid brace immobilization with a thoracolumbosacral orthosis (TLSO) suffices in most cases in relieving pain, preventing deformity and neurological compromise. Since January 2010 we started offering patients percutaneous posterior screw-rod instrumentation as alternative approach to TLSO immobilization. The aim of this study was to evaluate safety and effectiveness of posterior percutaneous spinal instrumentation for single level lower thoracic (T9-T12) or lumbar pyogenic spondylodiscitis.


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 96-B, Issue SUPP_11 | Pages 17 - 17
1 Jul 2014
Nasto L Wang D Rasile Robinson A Ngo K Pola E Sowa G Robbins P Kang J Niedernhofer L Vo N
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Summary Statement

DNA damage induced by systemic drugs or local γ-irradiation drives disc degeneration and DNA repair ability is extremely important to help prevent bad effects of genotoxins (DNA damage inducing agents) on disc.

Introduction

DNA damage (genotoxic stress) and deficiency of intracellular DNA repair mechanisms strongly contribute to biological aging. Moreover, aging is a primary risk factor for loss of disc matrix proteoglycan (PG) and intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). Indeed, our previous evidences in DNA repair deficient Ercc1−/Δ mouse model strongly suggest that systemic aging and IDD correlate with nuclear DNA damage. Thus the aim of the current study was to test whether systemic or local (spine) genotoxic stress can induce disc degeneration and how DNA repair ability could help prevent negative effects of DNA damage on IDD. To test this hypothesis a total of twelve Ercc1−/Δ mice (DNA repair deficient) and twelve wild-type mice (DNA repair competent) were challenged with two separate genotoxins to induce DNA damage, i.e. chemotherapeutic crosslinking agent mechlorethamine (MEC) and whole-body gamma irradiation. Local effects of gamma irradiation were also tested in six wild-type mice.


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 93-B, Issue SUPP_II | Pages 207 - 207
1 May 2011
Pola E Proietti L Nasto L Colangelo D De Martino I Logroscino C
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Introduction: Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by a low bone mass and the development of nontraumatic fractures. Approximately 700,000 elderly women in the US are newly diagnosed with osteoporotic vertebral fractures every year. Noninvasive measurements of bone mineral density (BMD) are central to the diagnosis and management of osteoporosis. However, BMD alone is not completely satisfactory in vertebral fracture risk assessment. The aim of this study was to identify clinical and laboratoristic factors associated with an increased risk of vertebral fractures in osteoporotic Caucasian women and to define a new clinically relevant scale of risk.

Methods: 475 patients consecutively admitted at our ambulatory for the treatment of vertebral osteoporosis were included in the study. All patients were affected by post-menopausal osteoporosis according to the WHO classification criteria. Exclusion criteria were major infectious diseases, tumors and major diseases of sense organs. We attempted to determine whether parameters such as age, body mass index, smoking and alcohol habitudes, femoral and lumbar T-scores, femoral and lumbar Z-scores, femoral and lumbar BMD, total and bone alkaline phosphatase and L3 and T7 vertebral volumes were associated with the risk of vertebral fractures.

Results: 173 patients of the entire population presented at least one vertebral fracture for a total of 488 fractures (238 thoracic and 250 lumbar collapses). When considered alone, age (> 65 years-p=0,0001), lumbar T-score (≤-3,5-p=0,0001), lumbar Z-score (≤-2,5-p=0,0050), lumbar BMD (≤0,800-p=0,0017), femoral T-score (≤-3,5-p=0,0090), femoral Z-score (≤-2,5-p=0,0127), L3 volume (≤-2,0SD–p=0,0023) and T7 volume (≤-2,0SD–p=0,0075) were significantly associated with an increased risk of vertebral fractures. Considering only the patients with two fractures or more, the same parameters with the exception of the femoral T-score resulted strongly associated with the risk of new vertebral fractures. Moreover, there was a significantly increased risk of vertebral fractures when two or more of these parameters were present together (p = 0.02). On the base of the obtained data we have then defined a new scale of risk (from grade I-low risk to grade IV-very high risk-p=0.0123) confirmed in a prospective study conducted on 71 osteoporotic patients followed for 30 months.

Conclusion: We propose a new clinical scale to easily identify the osteoporotic patient at risk of new vertebral fractures.