Spine and Spinal Cord Surgery
|
Spring 2001
Volume 12, Number 1
|
| Click
on any title below to read the full article. |
NEXT
ISSUE >
|
 Contents of this Issue
From the Guest Editor
Brian H.Wieder, MD
Future of Spine Care
Brian H.Wieder, MD
The most common ailment affecting the population today remains neck and back
problems. Yet our ability to address such pathology effectively has lagged
behind our ability to treat other diseases. In the new millennium we are finally
demonstrating outcomes and data that illustrate our greater understanding of
spine pathology, yet there is still work to be done. The first decade of the new
millennium has been denoted Decade of the Spine by the Joint section of the
American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the North American Spine
Society. The Decade of the Spine Initiative will guide and focus our progress in
the new millennium. All disciplines that address back, neck, and spinal cord
ailments will merge into a more rounded multi-disciplinary approach and allow
collaboration on treatment fronts in the area of orthobiologics,
neuroaugmentation, spinal fixation, prosthetics, surgical technique, and
adjuvant therapies.
Neuroprotection and Cellular Transplantation
After Spinal Cord Injury
W. Dalton Dietrich, PhD
Injury to the spinal cord initiates a cascade of events that ultimately lead
to cell death. Experimental
and clinical studies have identified distinct biochemical pathways that are
activated in both the acute
and subacute injury state. Clarification of dominant injury mechanisms is
extremely important from the therapeutic standpoint in that pharmacological
strategies can be directed toward specific injury processes. In addition,
there is a growing interest in the therapeutic potential of utilizing cell
transplantation strategies for therapy in spinal cord injury (SCI). The
replacement of lost cell populations, as well as the delivery of genes or
proteins to enhance axonal regeneration, is an exciting research direction.
The purpose of this chapter will be to review neuroprotective strategies
that are currently being utilized in the laboratory as well as briefly
summarize several transplantation strategies directed toward a cure for
Paralysis following SCI.
Spinal Imaging in the New Millennium
David H.Dungan, MD
Imaging is playing an increasingly important role in the care of spinal and
peripheral nerve disorders.
X-ray, fluoroscopy, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI) all play an important role in the imaging work up. Further advances
will see imaging at the forefront not only in the detection of spinal
disease, but as an integral part of the treatment process.
Endovascular Therapy for
Areteriovenous Malformation
Wayne F. Yakes, MD
Vascular malformations involving the spinal cord are technically challenging
clinical entities to diagnosis and ultimately treat. Our experience in
treating over 400 such lesions involving diverse anatomic locations is
presented here. Experience dictates that treatment aims at cure rather than
palliation. Our results and treatment modality are discussed here.
Stereotactic Radiosurgery for the Spine
John H.McVicker, MD, FACS
Originally used to produce tiny lesions in the brain, stereotactic
radiosurgery (SRS) now describes the precise localization and delivery of a high
dose of radiation to any defined anatomic target. SRS is rapidly becoming a
useful treatment modality for spinal neoplasms and vascular malformations of the
spinal cord. At CNI, neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists are increasingly
optimistic about the future of stereotactic radiosurgery as an alternative
treatment for tumors and AVMs of the spine. This article outlines the historical
development and present status of this exciting new treatment modality.
Interventional Management of Pain
in the New Millennium
Scott Hompland, DO
Back pain has become an epidemic in the United States costing exorbitant amounts
of health care dollars in medical and disability costs. The new millennium has
ushered in new and advanced techniques to fight the causes of back pain on all
fronts. The new procedures include intradiscal electrothermal annuloplasty,
radiofrequency rhizotomy and endoscopic spinal procedures and may be a way to
reduce the severity of back pain and its associated personal and financial
burdens.
The Interplay of Body Healing, Pain
Management and Intangible Elements of Hypnotherapy as an Adjuvant to Treatment
for Spinal Disorders
Cynthia Norrgran, MD
Understanding the complex nature of pain perception requires the ability to
separately analyze its psychological dimensions and their interaction, and
relate them to specific variables and responses.
This article approaches the different aspects of working with hypnosis for the
control of pain, and the multifaceted problems of trying to prove hypnotic
suggestions works.
The Evolution of Spinal Stability
in the Physical Therapy Field
Pete Emerson, PT, MMTC
The physical therapy field has shown many promising advances in back care in
the past few years. The most exciting advancements have been in the field of
stabilization of the lumbar spine. Conventional therapy has dictated the use
of larger global musculature in an attempt to stabilize the spine. The
purpose of this paper is to introduce recent research that suggests the use
of a more specific segmental rehabilitation program.
|
