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Objective: To propose a screw algorithm and investigate the anatomical feasibilities and clinical outcomes of five distinct fixation methods for C2-3 fused vertebra with high-ridding vertebral arteries (VA) (HRVA) when the C2 pedicle screw placement is unfeasible. Methods: Thirty surgical patients with congenital C2-3 fusion, HRVA, and atlantoaxial dislocation (AAD) were included. We designed a algorithm for alternative screw implantation into C2-3 fused vertebrae, including C2 pedicle screw with in-out-in (passing VA groove) technique (in-out-in screw), subfacetal screw, translaminar screw, lateral mass screw, C3 pedicle screw. VA diameter and position, C2 and C3 pedicles, superior facets, fused lamina, and fused lateral mass dimensions were evaluated for screw implantation indication. Implant failure, reduction loss, implant placement accuracy were investigated by computed tomography. Results: A total of 5 VAs were identified as distant VAs; a total of 2 VAs were categorized as occlusive VAs. Sufficient dimension of lateral mass and lamina provided the broadest indications for screw implantation, while the distant or occlusive VA provided the most limited indications for in-out-in screw. The indications of five alternative methods ranged from narrowest to widest as follows: in-out-in screw, C3 pedicle screw, subfacetal screw, translaminar screw, lateral mass screw. The translaminar screws and the lateral mass screws increased the probability of implant failure. All patients who received in-out-in screws, C3 pedicle screws, and subfacetal screws achieved fusion. The accuracy ranged from lowest to highest as follows: C3 pedicle screw, lateral mass screw, in-out-in screw, subfacetal screw, translaminar screw. No translaminar screws deviated. Conclusions: The algorithm proved to be a valuable tool for screw selection in cases of C2-3 fused vertebrae with HRVAs. The subfacetal screw, boasting broad indications, a high fusion rate, and exceptional accuracy, stood as the primary preferred alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to identify which lumbar vertebral level above a lumbosacral transitional vertebra (LSTV) demonstrated the longest transverse process (TVP) lengths. In this exploratory quantitative osteological cohort study using a digital Vernier caliper, dried human cadaveric lumbar TVPs were measured for linear horizontal length at each lumbar vertebra, left and right sides. Data collection was conducted in South Africa at the Raymond A. Dart Collection of Modern Human Skeletons and the Pretoria Bone Collection. The LSTV cohort consisted of 110 spinal columns and an LSTV-free control cohort of a sex-balanced randomized selection of 30 male and 30 female spinal columns. Compared with the control cohort, the LSTV cohort demonstrated longer TVPs for every vertebral level, particularly L3, while the left side demonstrated longer TVPs overall. There were no statistical differences in TVP length within the LSTV cohort when comparing all levels (P > 0.05). The L3 TVPs demonstrated the longest mean lengths in both control (65%) and LSTV (58%) cohorts. The general trend was that the TVPs of L3 had the longest mean length for both the left and the right sides in both cohorts and both sexes. In the absence of whole-spine imaging, these findings indicate that L3 TVPs may offer an alternative bony landmark, which may aid in spinal enumeration estimation in the setting of LSTV. This is of value for radiograph appraisal and may aid with correct-level intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Standard plain film medical radiographs often form a valuable line of evidence to identify individuals in large‐scale fatality events. While commonly available, chest radiographs present a challenge that their analysis is somewhat more involved and complex than radiographic records of other body regions. For example, chest radiographs concern subtler morphological varieties of smaller anatomical features across a larger number of skeletal elements in contrast to frontal sinus comparisons that concern a large, (often) single, highly variable void within one bone. This does not detract from or discount chest radiographs as useful identification aids, but it does demand additional prerequisite skills in radiographic interpretation to ensure valid conclusions are attained. When subjects deviate from standardized antemortem (AM) radiographic positions and/or the image quality decreases, the complexity of a chest radiograph comparison is elevated. Generally, the current body of forensic radiographic comparison literature infrequently addresses these more complex circumstances. In this paper, we use real‐world radiographic comparison reference images from a military DVI repatriation context to illustrate these factors and outline some procedures that enable these complexities to be easily recognized and appropriately addressed at case examination. A report for an exemplar case that concurrently highlights multiple factors is presented. For novices learning radiographic comparison methods, this case review saliently demonstrates: (1) why the AM reference radiograph(s) drive(s) the radiographic comparison procedure; (2) why care should be taken for correct positioning of the cervicothoracic junction in postmortem radiography of chest elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The catch of butterfly kingfish Gasterochisma melampus, a large pelagic species in southern temperate waters, is strongly biased (73%) towards females. Whether this is caused by differences in sex-specific spatiotemporal distributions or mortality of sexes is investigated herein. Analysis of sex ratios using a generalized additive model (GAM) for year, month, latitude, longitude, sea surface temperature, and fork length from Japanese longline catch data for areas where immature and adult fish occur revealed the influence of space and time on sex ratios to be small, and that of fork length to be large. Based on observation of the increments in vertebrae of immature fish (N = 179), the fork length at the time of increment formation was back-calculated from distances between increments on the anterior and posterior cones, generating 2–8 measurements per vertebra and 865 data points in total. Growth equations were calculated for each sex, with females growing faster. The age composition of males and females in the catch was similar, meaning that the mortality rate in males is unlikely to be higher than that of females. The data suggest that biased sex ratios in catches are representative of the natural sex ratio in a population for fish more than 60 cm in fork length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Injury mechanisms of the lumbar spine under dynamic loading are dependent on spine curvature and anatomical variation. Impact simulation with finite element (FE) models can assist the reconstruction and prediction of injuries. The objective of this study was to determine which level of individualization of a baseline FE lumbar spine model is necessary to replicate experimental responses and fracture locations in a dynamic experiment. Experimental X-rays from 26 dynamic drop tower tests were used to create three configurations of a lumbar spine model (T12 to L5): baseline, with aligned vertebrae (positioned), and with aligned and morphed vertebrae (morphed). Each model was simulated with the corresponding loading and boundary conditions from dynamic lumbar spine experiments. Force, moment, and kinematic responses were compared to the experimental data. Cosine similarity was computed to assess how well simulation responses match the experimental data. The pressure distribution within the vertebrae was used to compare fracture risk and fracture location between the different models. The positioned models replicated the injured spinal level and the fracture patterns quite well, though the morphed models provided slightly more accuracy. However, for impact reconstruction or injury prediction, the authors recommend pure positioning for whole-body models, as the gain in accuracy was relatively small, while the morphing modifications of the model require considerably higher efforts. These results improve the understanding of the application of human body models to investigate lumbar injury mechanisms with FE models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the domain of anatomy, some Chinese characters in anatomical terms possess distinctive morphological significance. Chinese characters evolved from pictographic characters, with some of these pictographs being created by ancient people based on their own body structure. This implies that the comprehension and depiction of the human body structure have been integral since the inception of Chinese characters, and this knowledge has been passed down and developed through the continued inheritance of Chinese characters. Even today, certain characters retain the appearance to reflect the shape of the human body structure. By examining the characters related to vertebrae, cranial fontanel and heart, we can find the unique and enduring link between Chinese characters and the fields of anatomy as well as Chinese traditional medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-segment pedicle screw instrumentation is widely used to treat complex spinal disorders. Rods are routinely precontoured to maximize assistance on the correcting side of the deformity, but there often exists a residual gap discrepancy between the precontoured rods and screw tulips. No previous research has investigated the diminished pullout strength of the most proximal or distal pedicle screw resulting from a mismatched rod in long-segment pedicle screw instrumentation. The present study aimed to investigate the decreased pullout force of pedicle screws affected by the gap discrepancy when forcefully engaging a mismatched rod into a tulip in a normal-density porcine spine. The pedicle screw fixation strength under axial pullout force was compared among three different gap discrepancies between rods and tulips using long porcine spine segments. Twelve porcine lumbar vertebrae (L3–L6) were implanted with pedicle screws and rods. Screws on one side had no gap between the tulip and rod (0-mm group), while the most proximal screw on the other side had an intentional gap of 3 mm (3-mm group) or 6 mm (6-mm group). Three hours after forcefully engaging the rod into the tulips at room temperature, the set screws in all specimens were loosened, and each specimen was dissected into individual vertebrae for subsequent pullout testing. The control group exhibited significantly greater pullout strength (1987.68 ± 126.80 N) than the groups from different rod-tulip configurations (p<.05), with significantly greater strength in the 3-mm group (945.62 ± 97.43 N) than the 6-mm group (655.30 ± 194.49 N) (p<.05). Only 47.6% and 33.0% of the pullout strength was retained in the 3-mm and 6-mm groups, respectively, compared to the control group. Gap discrepancies between rods and tulips can significantly reduce pedicle screw pullout strength, with a correlation between decreased strength and increased gaps. Surgeons should avoid forcefully engaging mismatched rods and consider well-fitted contoured rods in spinal surgery to minimize the risk of screw loosening. The gap discrepancy between rod and tulip significantly affected pullout strength, with greater gaps leading to reduced strength. Forcefully engaging mismatched rods into tulips in degenerative spinal surgery should be avoided to minimize the risk of early screw pullout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a corresponding increase in the prevalence of osteoporosis and related fractures with the aging population on the rise. Furthermore, osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) may contribute to higher patient mortality rates. It is essential to conduct research on risk factors for OVCF and provide a theoretical basis for preventing such fractures. Methods: We retrospectively recruited patients who had spine CT for OVCF or back pain. Demographic and CT data were collected. Quantitative computed tomography (QCT) software analyzed the CT data, using subcutaneous fat and paraspinal muscles as reference standards for BMD processing. BMD of cortical and cancellous bones in each patient's vertebral body was determined. Results: In this study, 144 patients were divided into non-OVCF (96) and OVCF (48) groups. Non-OVCF patients had higher cortical BMD of 382.5 ± 52.4 to 444.6 ± 70.1 mg/cm3, with T12 having the lowest BMD (p < 0.001, T12 vs. L2). Cancellous BMD ranged from 128.5 ± 58.4 to 140.9 ± 58.9 mg/cm3, with L3 having the lowest BMD. OVCF patients had lower cortical BMD of 365.0 ± 78.9 to 429.3 ± 156.7 mg/cm3, with a further decrease in T12 BMD. Cancellous BMD ranged from 71.68 ± 52.07 to 123.9 ± 126.2 mg/cm3, with L3 still having the lowest BMD. Fractured vertebrae in OVCF patients (T12, L1, and L2) had lower cortical bone density compared to their corresponding vertebrae without fractures (p < 0.05). Conclusions: T12 had the lowest cortical BMD and L3 had the lowest cancellous BMD in OVCF patients, with T12 also having the highest incidence of osteoporotic fractures. These findings suggest that reduction in cortical BMD has a greater impact on OVCF than reduction in cancellous BMD, along with biomechanical factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Design. A retrospective cohort study. Objective. To evaluate long-term rotational changes in the vertebrae of patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) who underwent direct vertebral rotation (DVR). Summary of Background Data. DVR using thoracic pedicle screws, a rotational corrective maneuver used in the surgical treatment of AIS, was introduced in 2004. Although DVR is considered to be the main axial corrective maneuver, the long-term rotational changes of vertebrae following this treatment are not well understood. Materials and Methods. A total of 135 vertebrae that underwent DVR using thoracic pedicle screws with a minimum five-year follow-up were retrospectively assessed for the vertebral rotation angle. The vertebral rotation of the apical vertebra (AV) and distal end vertebra (EV) was evaluated using the Nash-Moe scale, the rotational angle to the sacrum (RAsac), and the Aaro and Dahlborn method. The Student t test (paired means) was used for continuous variables, and the χ2 test was used for categorical variables, as appropriate. A comparison of two and three groups used a one-way repeated measures analysis of variance, and the post hoc analysis used the Bonferroni test. Results. The mean Nash-Moe scale of distal EV showed statistically significant differences between preoperative and postoperative values (P= 0.034) and no statistically significant difference between postoperative and last follow-up values (P=1.000). The last follow-up RAsac of AV did not differ significantly from the preoperative RAsac of AV (P= 0.515). The last follow-up RAsac of distal EV was significantly lower than the preoperative RAsac of distal EV (P= 0.001). The Pearson correlation analysis showed that the last follow-up RAsac of distal EV was correlated with the Cobb angle of the main curve (r= 0.459, P=0.004), loss of correction (r= 0.541, P=0.001), and lowest instrumented vertebra tilt angle (r= 0.504, P=0.001) Conclusions. The rotation regression phenomenon in AV and rotation maintenance in distal EV were observed after DVR over an average 10-year follow-up. These findings suggest that the DVR in the surgical treatment of AIS has a positive long-term effect on the stabilization of distal EV from the point of view of axial rotation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Cobb angle is critical in assessing adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients. This study aimed to evaluate the error in selecting the upper- and lower-end vertebrae on AIS digital X-rays by experienced and novice observers and its correlation with the error in measuring the Cobb angle and determining the length of the scoliotic curves. Methods: Using the TraumaMeter v.873 software, eight raters independently evaluated 68 scoliotic curves. Results: The error percentage in the upper-end vertebra selection was higher than for the lower-end vertebra (44.7%, CI95% 41.05–48.3 compared to 35%, CI95% 29.7–40.4). The mean bias error (MBE) was 0.45 (CI95% 0.38–0.52) for the upper-end vertebra and 0.35 (CI% 0.69–0.91) for the lower-end vertebra. The percentage of errors in the choice of the end vertebrae was lower for the experienced than for the novices. There was a positive correlation (r = 0.673, p = 0.000) between the error in selecting the end vertebrae and determining the length of the scoliotic curves. Conclusions: We can conclude that errors in selecting end vertebrae are common among experienced and novice observers, with a greater error frequency for the upper-end vertebrae. Contrary to the consensus, the accuracy of determining the length of the scoliotic curve is limited by the Cobb method's reliance on the correct selection of the end vertebrae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Three‐level hybrid surgery (HS) consisting of cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA) and anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) has been partly used for the treatment of multi‐level cervical degenerative disc disease (CDDD). The complications related to the implants and the collapse of the surgical vertebral bodies had been reported in multi‐level anterior cervical spine surgery. Thus, this study aimed to explore the biomechanical effects on the prostheses and vertebrae in three‐level HS. Methods: A FE model of cervical spine (C0‐T1) was constructed. Five surgical models were developed. They were FAF model (ACDF‐CDA‐ACDF), AFA model (CDA‐ACDF‐CDA), FFF model (three‐level ACDF), SF model (single‐level ACDF), and SA model (single‐level CDA). A 75‐N follower load and 1.0‐N·m moment was applied to produce flexion, extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation. Results: Compared with the intact model, the range of motion (ROM) of total cervical spine in FAF model decreased by 34.54%, 54.48%, 31.76%, and 27.14%, respectively, in flexion, extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation, which were lower than those in FFF model and higher than those in AFA model. The ROMs of CDA segments in FAF and AFA models were similar to the intact model and SA model. Compared with the intact model, the ROMs at C3/4 segment in FFF model increased from 5.71% to 7.85%, and increased from 5.31% to 6.81% at C7/T1 segment, following by FAF model, then the FAF model. The maximum interface pressures of the Prestige‐LP in FAF model were similar to SA model, however the corresponding values were increased in AFA model. The maximum interface pressures of the Zero‐P were increased in FAF and AFA model compared with those in SF and FFF models. The stress was mainly distributed on the screws. In AFA model, the maximum pressures of the ball and trough articulation in superior and inferior Prestige‐LP were all increased compared with those in SA and FAF model. In FFF model, the maximum pressures of the vertebrae were higher than those in other models. The stress was mainly distributed on the anterior area of the vertebral bodies. Conclusions: HS seemed to be more suitable than ACDF for the surgical treatment of three‐level CDDD in consideration of the biomechanical effects, especially for the two‐level CDA and one‐level ACDF construct. But a more appropriate CDA prosthesis should be explored in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the anatomical parameters of the ideal screw trajectory for percutaneous intralaminar screw fixation of a pars defect in lumbar spondylolysis using computed tomography scans. Using advanced radiological software, the ideal intralaminar screw trajectory was determined. The anatomical parameters of this trajectory were analyzed using a total of 80 single-level lumbar tomography scans in patients with spondylolysis at the lumbar 4 vertebrae and lumbar 5 vertebrae levels. The ideal intralaminar screw trajectory started from the inferolateral edge of the lamina and was between the intralaminar region, pars defect, and defective pars neck and pedicle. Along this trajectory, the skin–lamina distance, intralaminar screw length, isthmic lamina length and width, defective pars neck width, lateral entry distance of the screw to the center of the spinous process, and sagittal and coronal screw application angles were analyzed. When comparing the lumbar 4 vertebrae and lumbar 5 vertebrae parameters, the mean skin-to-lamina distances were 11–9 cm (P = 0.000), intralaminar screw lengths 3.5–3.6 cm (P = 0.067), isthmic lamina lengths 2–2 cm (P = 0.698), mid-lamina widths 1–1 cm (P = 0.941), defective pars neck widths 1–1 cm (P = 0.674), screw lateral entry distances according to the spinous process 1–1.5 cm (P = 0.000), sagittal screw angles 45°–45° (P = 0.870), and coronal screw angles 10°–20° (P = 0.000), respectively. There were no differences based on age and gender (P < 0.05). Percutaneous intralaminar rigid screw fixation of a pars defect in spondylolysis provides minimally invasive, low-profile instrumentation. In spondylolysis, a screw length of 3–4 cm and a screw diameter of 4–5 mm may be sufficient for pars fixation with intralaminar screws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphological variation along the spatial distribution of species has been extensively investigated in ecological studies, and several ecogeographical rules explore the relationships between morphological traits and the environment. Many morphological traits are correlated, providing an opportunity to evaluate the validity of multiple ecogeographical rules simultaneously. Bergmann's rule predicts that endothermic animals in colder locations are larger than those in warmer locations. Jordan's rule predicts that fish from colder locations have more vertebrae than those from warmer locations. We tested the validity of Bergmann's and Jordan's rules for the neotropical lancehead snake Bothrops jararaca. We evaluated three morphological characters of 342 specimens: number of ventral scales (proxy for vertebrae number), snout–vent length (a linear measure of body size) and stoutness (volumetric body size). We implemented spatial regressions to evaluate the variation of morphological dimensions using climatic predictors: the minimum temperature and evapotranspiration. SVL was poorly related to minimum temperature and evapotranspiration. However, stouter individuals were found in colder places with greater evapotranspiration, following Bergmann's rule and the water conservation hypothesis. Individuals in warmer locations also had a greater number of ventral scales, reversing Jordan's rule. We showed that different selective pressures act on different morphological dimensions. Although stoutness follows Bergmann's rule, its variation would arise from an energy storage demand rather than heat conservation. Also, stoutness variation along evapotranspiration gradients could represent a mechanism to avoid hydric stress in environments with considerable climatic variations. The variation in vertebrae number along temperature gradients could be related to ecological factors and foraging. We highlight that physioecological mechanisms to deal with climatic variation and ecological aspects could be identified in snakes through intraspecific analyses, contrasting with interspecific studies that can hardly detect general trends. Due to different environmental effects on body size, we shed new light on the importance of exploring multiple morphological dimensions in macroecological studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Subtle spinal compression fractures can easily be missed. AI may help in interpreting these images. We propose to test the performance of an FDA-approved algorithm for fracture detection in radiographs on a per vertebra basis, assessing performance based on grade of compression, presence of foreign material, severity of degenerative changes, and acuity of the fracture. Methods: Thoracic and lumbar spine radiographs with inquiries for fracture were retrospectively collected and analyzed by the AI. The presence or absence of fracture was defined by the written report or cross-sectional imaging where available. Fractures were classified semi-quantitatively by the Genant classification, by acuity, by the presence of foreign material, and overall degree of degenerative change of the spine. The results of the AI were compared to the gold standard. Results: A total of 512 exams were included, depicting 4114 vertebra with 495 fractures. Overall sensitivity was 63.2% for the lumbar spine, significantly higher than the thoracic spine with 50.6%. Specificity was 96.7 and 98.3% respectively. Sensitivity increased with fracture grade, without a significant difference between grade 2 and 3 compression fractures (lumbar spine: grade 1, 52.5%; grade 2, 72.3%; grade 3, 75.8%; thoracic spine: grade 1, 42.4%; grade 2, 60.0%; grade 3, 60.0%). The presence of foreign material and a high degree of degenerative changes reduced sensitivity. Conclusion: Overall performance of the AI on a per vertebra basis was degraded in clinically relevant scenarios such as for low-grade compression fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This biomechanical in vitro study compared two kyphoplasty devices for the extent of height reconstruction, load-bearing capacity, cement volume, and adjacent fracture under cyclic loading. Methods: Multisegmental (T11–L3) specimens were mounted into a testing machine and subjected to compression, creating an incomplete burst fracture of L1. Kyphoplasty was performed using a one- or two-compartment device. Then, the testing machine was used for a cyclic loading test of load-bearing capacity to compare the two groups for the amount of applied load until failure and subsequent adjacent fracture. Results: Vertebral body height reconstruction was effective for both groups but not statistically significantly different. After cyclic loading, refracture of vertebrae that had undergone kyphoplasty was not observed in any specimen, but fractures were observed in adjacent vertebrae. The differences between the numbers of cycles and of loads were not statistically significant. An increase in cement volume was strongly correlated with increased risks of adjacent fractures. Conclusion: The two-compartment device was not substantially superior to the one-compartment device. The use of higher cement volume correlated with the occurrence of adjacent fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Spinopelvic sagittal alignment is crucial for assessing balance and determining treatment efficacy in patients with adult spinal deformity (ASD). Only a limited number of reports have addressed spinopelvic parameters and lumbosacral transitional vertebrae (LSTV). Our primary objective was to study spinopelvic sagittal parameter changes in patients with LSTV. A secondary objective was to investigate clinical symptoms and quality of life (QOL) in patients with LSTV. Methods: In this study, we investigated 371 participants who had undergone medical check-ups for the spine. LSTV was evaluated using Castellvi's classification, and patients were divided into LSTV+ (type II-IV, L5 vertebra articulated or fused with the sacrum) and LSTV- groups. After propensity score matching for demographic data, we analyzed spinopelvic parameters, sacroiliac joint degeneration, clinical symptoms, and QOL for these two participant groups. Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores and EQ-5D (EuroQol 5 dimensions) indices were compared between the two groups. Results: Forty-four patients each were analyzed in the LSTV + and LSTV- groups. The LSTV + group had significantly greater pelvic incidence (52.1 ± 11.2 vs. 47.8 ± 10.0 degrees, P = 0.031) and shorter pelvic thickness (10.2 ± 0.9 vs. 10.7 ± 0.8 cm, P = 0.018) compared to the LSTV- group. The "Sitting" domain of ODI (1.1 ± 0.9 vs. 0.6 ± 0.7, P = 0.011) and "Pain/Discomfort" domain of EQ-5D (2.0 ± 0.8 vs. 1.6 ± 0.7, P = 0.005) were larger in the LSTV + group. Conclusion: There was a robust association between LSTV and pelvic sagittal parameters. Clinical symptoms also differed between the two groups in some domains. Surgeons should be aware of the relationship between LSTV assessment, radiographic parameters and clinical symptoms. Level of evidence: 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate knowledge of anatomy is an important prerequisite for carrying out interventions and achieving good results. In particular, risks and complications can be avoided if perils are known. It is important to recognize and clearly communicate transitional anomalies in the bony spine. Curved structures must be correctly interpreted during fluoroscopy and projection on the two-dimensional screen. When injecting facet joints, attention must be paid to the small intra-articular volume and possible communication between the joint space and adjacent spaces. Controlling the depth of the needle in the spinal canal is important for interlaminar injections; an oblique setting can be helpful here. Exact knowledge of possible courses of the neighboring arteries is necessary in order to avoid intra-arterial injections and thus potentially serious complications. Finally, knowledge about the nerves is important in order to be able to place targeted injections in the right place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish remains are a common component of coastal and inland archaeological assemblages from Australia and the Pacific Islands. Physical reference collections are the primary tool that researchers use to taxonomically identify fish bones but given the high biodiversity of fishes in this region, collections are frequently not complete at the genus- and species-level. Adjunct resources, such as online photograph repositories of fish bone reference collections and illustrated technical guides, provide useful supplementary aids. However, such 2D photographs and illustrations offer fixed perspectives of the bone and do not allow for ready manipulation and detailed examination of the specimen. Here, we introduce Fishboneviz, the first open access 3D fish bone reference collection, which was developed to reduce inequitable access to physical reference collections in line with the FAIR principles of data management (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable). A 'best-practice' methodology was established to facilitate fast and effective segmentation (i.e. isolate regions of interest such as elements) of fish Computed Tomography (CT) scans. This way, fish bone elements of interest were segmented to allow digital manipulation and viewing of the complete element. To examine the effectiveness of the approach, image segmentation procedures were applied to a representative sample of 10 bone elements per fish: dentary, premaxilla, maxilla, articular, quadrate, hyomandibular, opercle, preopercle, last precaudal vertebra, and first caudal vertebra. For species within the family Labridae, the three pharyngeal grinding plates were also segmented. These elements were selected as they represent different regions of the skeleton, variable morphologies, and commonly recovered elements from archaeological sites. To date, the collection contains the skeletal elements of 26 fish species (18 families). In the future, it is hoped that the collection will be further expanded by a broader network of interested collaborators to ensure it grows according to the changing needs of research and teaching communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: On 6 February 2023, two major earthquakes occurred in Turkey on the same day. More than 50,000 people died, and more than 100,000 people were injured in these earthquakes. The aim of this study is to contribute to disaster management plans by evaluating the functioning of a radiology department and the imaging examinations performed after this disaster. Methods: The functioning of the radiology clinic at Malatya Training and Research Hospital in the first 24 h after the earthquake was evaluated. The images of 596 patients who were admitted to Malatya Training and Research Hospital for earthquake-related trauma between 6 February 2023, at 4:17 a.m. and 7 February 2023, at 4:17 a.m., and who underwent radiography and computed tomography (CT) were retrospectively reviewed. Results: The mean age of the patients was 37.3 ± 20.1 years. A total of 313 (52.5%) patients were male. The most frequently performed imaging test was a CT scan. In total, 437 (73.3%) of 596 patients underwent a CT scan. At least one body part was affected in 160 patients (26.8%). The most commonly affected regions were the thorax, vertebrae, and extremities. Thoracic findings were observed in 52 patients (32.5%), vertebral findings in 52 patients (32.5%), and extremity findings in 46 patients (28.7%). Fractures were the most common finding in our study. Of the 160 patients with pathologic findings, 139 (86.9%) had evidence of fractures. Conclusions: The role of radiology in disasters is important. When disaster preparedness plans are made, radiology departments should be actively involved in these plans. This will ensure the quick and efficient functioning of radiology departments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bone cortical tissues reorganize and remodel in response to tensile forces acting on them, while compressive forces cause atrophy. However, implants support most of the payload. Bones do not regenerate, and stress shielding occurs. The aim is to analyze the biomechanical behavior of a lumbar cage to study the implant's stress shielding. The ASTM E-9 standard was used with the necessary adjustments to perform compression tests on lumbar and thoracic porcine spinal vertebrae. Twelve cases were analyzed: six with the metal prosthesis and six with the PEEK implant. A mathematical model based on the Hertz contact theory is proposed to assess the stress shielding for endoprosthesis used in spine pathologies. The lumbar spacer (screw) helps to reduce the stress shielding effect due to the ACME thread. The best interspinous spacer is the PEEK screw. It does not embed in bone. The deformation capability increases by 11.5% and supports 78.6 kg more than a system without any interspinous spacer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary In this clinical commentary, the various pathologies occurring in the tail region of horses and foals are briefly summarised, followed by a discussion of angular deviations of the tail and the possibilities of their correction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new, distinctively short‐bodied giraffe catfish of Parauchenoglanis is described from the Ndzaa River, a small left‐bank tributary of the Mfimi‐Lukenie basin in the Central basin of the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The new species can be distinguished from all congeners by having 29 or fewer (vs. 33 or more) total vertebrae. It can further be distinguished from all congeners, except Parauchenoglanis zebratus Sithole et al., 2023 and Parauchenoglanis ngamensis (Boulenger 1911), by having 13 or 14 (vs. 16 or more) pre‐anal vertebrae. The species is endemic to the Mfimi River basin, where it has been collected mainly in blackwater tributaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A chordoma is a slow growing, locally invasive, low-grade tumor belonging to the sarcoma family. It mainly affects the sacrum and skull base. We present a case of thoracic chordoma initially presented with epidural hematoma (EDH), which is a rare clinical entity. We reported this case, and also performed a PRISMA-driven systematic review to summary the similar cases in the literature. This review includes the clinical characteristics and outcome of thoracic chordoma. Our case involves a 60-year-old male who, despite no history of trauma, presented with acute paraparesis. An epidural hematoma was identified at T6 level, leading to a surgical intervention involving T4-6 laminectomy and fixation. Six months subsequent to surgery, the patient experienced progressive lower limb weakness and spasticity. Computed tomography (CT) exhibited erosion of T6 and an associated aggressive mass. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a large heterogenous soft tissue mass arising from the vertebral body and right pedicle of D6, protruding in the epidural space and compressing the spinal cord focally at this level. The mass measured approximately 5 × 4 × 3.5 cm. Magnetic resonance myelography indicated a filling defect at T5–6 level, confirming the intraspinal location of the soft tissue lesion. Complete excision of the mass confirmed the diagnosis of thoracic chordoma. Postoperative follow-up demonstrated notable improvement in the lower limb spasticity and paraparesis, and the patient started adjuvant radiotherapy. This case underscores the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion when evaluating presentations resembling EDH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Colombian weasel, Neogale felipei, is a rare carnivoran known only from nine localities, eight in Colombia and one in Ecuador. Recent records have expanded our understanding of the distribution and threats that this mammal faces, but the species is still among the rarest Neotropical carnivores. Here, we present an update to the distribution of N. felipei based on a recent record obtained in the Cordillera Occidental (Western Cordillera) of Colombia, and information on internal and external morphology using noninvasive technique such as X-rays of museum preserved specimens. We also documented the presence of lice, Neotrichodectes minutus, which is the first documented ectoparasite of the species. With the new records, the species is currently known from 12 localities (11 in Colombia and one in Ecuador). We also present the first radiographic analyses for N. felipei and the obtained vertebral formula (49 total vertebrae) fits into the range reported for the species and other mustelids. Considering that the Colombian weasel is one of the rarest carnivores of the Neotropics, our work represents a noteworthy contribution to several aspects of the anatomy, distribution, and natural history of this rare carnivoran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rebbachisaurids are a group of basal diplodocoid sauropods that diversified primarily in Gondwana between the early Lower Cretaceous and the early Upper Cretaceous. Their phylogenetic relationships are still under debate given the fragmentary and incomplete nature of its remains. Here, we provide a detailed description of the postcranial remains of Campananeyen fragilissimus gen. et sp. nov. from the Candeleros Formation (lower Cenomanian) of Neuquén Province, Argentina. Campananeyen presents notable features that allow it to be recognised as a new species by the presence of an underdeveloped crista prootica, paraoccipital process internally hollow and a fuse dorsal alar arm of the ilium. The phylogenetic analysis recovered this taxon as a basal rebbachisaurid closely related to Zapalasaurus, Sidersaura and the specimen from La Amarga Formation MACN-Pv-N 35. The new rebbachisaurid is recovered as the sister taxon of Sidersaura due the presence of procoelous posterior caudal vertebrae and dorsoventrally flattened posterior caudal centra. C. fragilissimus presents an extreme pneumatization of the sacral region with an autapomorphic dorsal alar arm of the sacral transverse processes. Finally, the phylogenetic analysis supports a South American origin for Rebbachisauridae and an early diversification to Africa and Europe by the Barremian-Aptian as previously suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, only birds have a pneumatic system, but in the past, this was common among several ornithodirans. Within Titanosauria, it was the saltasaurines that showed a high degree of postcranial pneumaticity. The objective of this work is analysing the extent of postcranial pneumaticity in saltasaurines and compare it with other derived titanosaurs. To carry out this work, presacral vertebrae, dorsal ribs, scapulae, coracoids and ilia of saltasaurines were analysed. The presacral vertebrae present a high degree of pneumatisation with a highly variable distribution of foramina, with some ‘foramina zones’, there is a homoplastic pattern of pneumaticity: presence of foramina connected to camellated tissue. With respect to the ilia, camellated tissue was recorded in all taxa. Instead, scapulae and coracoids, present camellated tissue in Saltasaurus and they cannot be pneumatised in Neuquensaurus. Comparing with other titanosaurs, we observe that there are ‘foramina zones’ for presacral and caudal vertebrae. It is also possible to establish that the pneumatisation of the dorsal ribs has a conservative pattern, not only in saltasaurines but also in the Saurischia clade, and the presence of pneumaticity in the ilia is frequent in the Lithostrotia and even outside, in rebbachisaurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current procedures to establish vertebral column regionalization (e.g., histology) in fish are time consuming and difficult to apply. The aim of this study was to develop a more rapid and accurate radiology‐based method for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). A detailed analysis of 90 animals (4 kg) led to the establishment of region‐specific radiographic hallmarks. To elucidate its transferability to other salmonid species, radiography was carried out in brown trout (Salmo trutta), Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus), rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), and Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). This method was also evaluated for whole ungutted fish. The vertebral column of Atlantic salmon can be subdivided into five regions (R1–R5) based on anatomy: postcranial (R1, V1, and V2), abdominal (R2, V3–V26), transitional (R3, V27–V36), caudal (R4, V37–V53), and ural (R5, V54–V59). The following specific radiographic hallmarks allow the identification of regions: (i) lack of ribs in R1, (ii) modified parapophysis of the first vertebra of R3, (iii) prominent hemal spine of the first vertebra of R4, and (iv) the separated hemal spine of the most cranial pre‐ural vertebra of R5. These hallmarks were all transferable to the other salmonid species assessed. The results include a further description of various region‐specific characteristics in Atlantic salmon. The method was found applicable for sedated/whole ungutted fish, verifying it as quick and easy compared to other regionalization methods. The regions defined by radiology in this study agree with the vertebral column regions recently defined for Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha). Thus, and considering the results of this study on various salmonid species, the currently developed regionalization protocol can be generally used for salmonids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bone segmentation is an important step to perform biomechanical failure load simulations on in-vivo CT data of patients with bone metastasis, as it is a mandatory operation to obtain meshes needed for numerical simulations. Segmentation can be a tedious and time consuming task when done manually, and expert segmentations are subject to intra- and inter-operator variability. Deep learning methods are increasingly employed to automatically carry out image segmentation tasks. These networks usually need to be trained on a large image dataset along with the manual segmentations to maximize generalization to new images, but it is not always possible to have access to a multitude of CT-scans with the associated ground truth. It then becomes necessary to use training techniques to make the best use of the limited available data. In this paper, we propose a dedicated pipeline of preprocessing, deep learning based segmentation method and post-processing for in-vivo human femurs and vertebrae segmentation from CT-scans volumes. We experimented with three U-Net architectures and showed that out-of-the-box models enable automatic and high-quality volume segmentation if carefully trained. We compared the failure load simulation results obtained on femurs and vertebrae using either automatic or manual segmentations and studied the sensitivity of the simulations on small variations of the automatic segmentation. The failure loads obtained using automatic segmentations were comparable to those obtained using manual expert segmentations for all the femurs and vertebrae tested, demonstrating the effectiveness of the automated segmentation approach for failure load simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent evidence suggests that the invasive air sac system evolved at least three times independently in avemetatarsalians: in pterosaurs, sauropodomorphs and theropods. Data from sauropodomorphs showed that the pneumatic architecture in vertebrae first developed in camellate‐like trabeculae in the Triassic, later in camerate systems in Jurassic neosauropods, and finally camellate tissue in Cretaceous titanosaurs. This evolutionary trajectory has support from a considerable sampling of sauropodomorph taxa. However, the evolution of pneumatic bone tissues in Theropoda is less understood. We analyzed the computed tomography of Majungasaurus and Rahonavis, using densitometry rendering to differentiate the microarchitecture along the presacral axial skeleton of late Ceratosaurians and early Paravians. We also compared these results with scans of other theropod clades. Our analysis revealed an increase in pneumatic complexity in early paravians compared to the ceratosaurians. Majungasaurus presents some apneumatic neural spines, a condition also observed in Allosaurus. Majungasaurus also features some apneumatic centra despite the presence of lateral pneumatic fossae. This raises caution when evaluating PSP solely based on external morphology. We also found evidence of distinct patterns of PSP in maniraptorans. Considering that Majungasaurus, a late abelisaurid, inherited from their ceratosaurian ancestors, some apneumatic elements such as the neural spine and some centra, Rahonavis, an early paravian, took a different trajectory toward the full pneumatization of the axial skeleton. This characteristic provided paravians an advantage in gliding and flying. Also, unlike Sauropoda, pneumaticity in Theropoda apparently developed by increasing chamber volumes toward paravians. Similar studies on early Theropoda are needed to elucidate their condition and better describe the evolutionary trajectory of different groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study is to introduce a novel nanohydroxyapatite/polyamide 66(n-HA/PA66)n strut to improve biomechanical performance and reduce subsidence. Methods: One validated intact and 2 ACCF-simulated C3–C7 cervical spine models were developed (old strut: Group A, new strut: Group B). In the ACCF models, C5 underwent corpectomy and was fixed by an anterior cervical plate. Screw angles were categorized as 1 (0) and 2 (45) and divided into 4 groups, A1, A2, B1 and B2, for each model. An axial force of 74 N and a moment couple of 1.0 Nm were imposed on the C3 vertebra. The range of motion (ROM) of each segment and the stress distribution on the screw–vertebra interface, strut, and strut–endplate interface were recorded and analysed. Results: There was no significant difference in ROM between Group A and Group B during bending, extension and rotation under 74 N axial pressure. The stress concentration on the strut body in Group A was higher than that in Group B. The peak stress values at the screw–vertebral interface in Groups A1 and A2 were higher than those in Groups B1 and B2, except for during extension and lateral bending. Under axial pressure, the peak stress values at the strut body–endplate interface during bending, extension and rotation were lower in the A1 and A2 groups than in the B1 and B2 groups. The Group B model showed much higher graft stress than the Group A model. Conclusions: Based on finite-element analysis, compared with the old strut, the novel strut showed better biomechanical performance at the screw–vertebra interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Epithelioid vascular tumors are rare bone vascular lesions with a spectrum of overlapping cancer entities with varying degrees of malignant potential that remain controversial because of their rarity, unusual morphologic features, and unpredictable biologic behavior. The classification of vascular tumors of bone proposed by the World Health Organization in 2020 incorporated morphologic findings with available genetic evidence, including mainly angiosarcoma, epithelioid hemangioma, pseudomyogenic hemangioendothelioma, and epithelioid hemangioendothelioma. Here, we report our experience with eleven patients suffering from epithelioid hemangioma (EH) of the spine. As very few cases of EH of the spine have been reported in the literature, the evidence-based decision-making process for these patients can be very difficult. Thus, we propose a treatment flowchart based on our single center's experience. Epithelioid hemangioma is recognized by the World Health Organization as a distinct benign neoplasm; however, it is characterized by locally aggressive and rarely metastasizing behavior. Epithelioid vascular tumors are rare bony vascular lesions with varying degrees of malignant potential that remain controversial because of their rarity, unusual morphological features, and unpredictable biological behavior. The application of new molecular tools, such as massive parallel sequencing technologies, have provided new diagnostic markers and an opportunity to further refine the classification of bone vascular neoplasms. Very few cases of EH of the spine have been reported in the literature; therefore, it is difficult to make evidence-based therapeutic decisions for these patients. We report herein our experience with eleven patients suffering from EH of the spine. The study population included three males and eight females treated in our center from 2016 to the present; the average age was 44.8 years (range 14–75 years). The surgical, clinical, and radiographic data were retrospectively analyzed. The mean follow-up was 34.8 months. All patients presented lytic vertebral body lesions, six of them with pathological fracture. The majority of patients (80%) presented myelo-radicular compression. All patients were surgically treated, and preoperative embolization was performed in all cases. In light of the literature review and the clinical experience of our center, we can consider EH a locally aggressive tumor that requires surgical treatment in case of symptoms. Here, we propose a treatment algorithm that could be useful in the management of patients with this rare disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When conducting spine-related diagnosis and surgery, the three-dimensional (3D) upright posture of the spine under natural weight bearing is of significant clinical value for physicians to analyze the force on the spine. However, existing medical imaging technologies cannot meet current requirements of medical service. On the one hand, the mainstream 3D volumetric imaging modalities (e.g. CT and MRI) require patients to lie down during the imaging process. On the other hand, the imaging modalities conducted in an upright posture (e.g. radiograph) can only realize 2D projections, which lose the valid information of spinal anatomy and curvature. Developments of deep learning-based 3D reconstruction methods bring potential to overcome the limitations of the existing medical imaging technologies. To deal with the limitations of current medical imaging technologies as is described above, in this paper, we propose a novel deep learning framework, ReVerteR, which can realize automatic 3D Reconstruction of Vertebrae from orthogonal bi-planar Radiographs. With the utilization of self-attention mechanism and specially designed loss function combining Dice, Hausdorff, Focal, and MSE, ReVerteR can alleviate the sample-imbalance problem during the reconstruction process and realize the fusion of the centroid annotation and the focused vertebra. Furthermore, aiming at automatic and customized 3D spinal reconstruction in real-world scenarios, we extend ReVerteR to a clinical deployment-oriented framework, and develop an interactive interface with all functions in the framework integrated so as to enhance human–computer interaction during clinical decision-making. Extensive experiments and visualization conducted on our constructed datasets based on two benchmark datasets of spinal CT, VerSe 2019 and VerSe 2020, demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed ReVerteR. In this paper, we propose an automatic 3D reconstruction method of vertebrae based on orthogonal bi-planar radiographs. With the 3D upright posture of the spine under natural weight bearing effectively constructed, our proposed method is expected to better support doctors make clinical decision during spine-related diagnosis and surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides information on the age, growth parameters, and reproductive characteristics of the sharpspine skate (Okamejei acutispina) in the East China Sea. The study found that the sharpspine skate has a shorter lifespan, faster growth, and earlier age at maturity compared to other skates globally. The population of this species in the East China Sea has declined due to fishing pressure. The article emphasizes the need for accurate assessment of the population status and conservation of the sharpspine skate. [Extracted from the article]

Knowledge of the diet of marine predators such as seabirds is fundamental to understanding the ecological cascades they may influence and the impact that environmental changes may have on them. Diet analysis of seabirds frequently relies on the identification of fish otoliths in pellets. However, it is recognised that the true dietary importance of fish with small and fragile otoliths is likely underestimated, requiring an additional method. In this study, we compared the identification of otoliths with that of vertebrae in pellets to gain a more complete picture of seabird diet. We identified fish otoliths and vertebrae from 2584 great skua Stercorarius skua pellets collected between 2014 and 2017 from five colonies in Scotland. Diet varied markedly between colonies, comprising mostly fish in Shetland and mostly birds in St Kilda. 10% of pellets contained otoliths compared to 70% with fish vertebrae. Atlantic herring Clupea harengus and Atlantic mackerel Scomber scombrus were the most common fish species at all colonies when using vertebrae in contrast to being virtually absent when using otoliths. Conversely, the occurrence of Norway pout Trisopterus esmarkii and pollock Pollachius pollachius otoliths was six and eight times, respectively, higher than for vertebrae. Therefore, combining data from both otoliths and vertebrae provides a more complete profile of the fish component of seabird diet. This is fundamental to improving our understanding of the impacts of marine management policies on seabirds, as well as how changes in the population size of such seabird species might affect their prey species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stegosaurs are a minor but iconic clade of ornithischian dinosaurs, yet due to a poor fossil record, their early evolution is poorly understood. Here, we describe a new stegosaur, Baiyinosaurus baojiensis, gen. et sp. nov. from the Middle Jurassic Wangjiashan Formation of the Pingchuan District, Baiyin City, Gansu Province, China. The frontal of Baiyinosaurus possesses a unique characteristic among Stegosauria: it is wider than long and contributes to both the medial and anterior margins of the supratemporal fenestra. The character combinations of dorsal vertebrae of Baiyinosaurus are also different to other stegosaurs: its neural arches are not greatly elongated, its parapophyses are well developed, and its neural spines are axially expanded in lateral. The features of the frontal and vertebrae of Baiyinosaurus are reminiscent of basally branching thyreophorans, indicating that Baiyinosaurus is transitional in morphology between early thyreophorans and early-diverging stegosaurs. Systematic analysis shows that Baiyinosaurus is an early-diverging stegosaur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinal magnetic resonance (MR) scans are a vital tool for diagnosing the cause of back pain for many diseases and conditions. However, interpreting clinically useful information from these scans can be challenging, time-consuming and hard to reproduce across different radiologists. In this paper, we alleviate these problems by introducing a multi-stage automated pipeline for analysing spinal MR scans. This pipeline first detects and labels vertebral bodies across several commonly used sequences (e.g. T1w, T2w and STIR) and fields of view (e.g. lumbar, cervical, whole spine). Using these detections it then performs automated diagnosis for several spinal disorders, including intervertebral disc degenerative changes in T1w and T2w lumbar scans, and spinal metastases, cord compression and vertebral fractures. To achieve this, we propose a new method of vertebrae detection and labelling, using vector fields to group together detected vertebral landmarks and a language-modelling inspired beam search to determine the corresponding levels of the detections. We also employ a new transformer-based architecture to perform radiological grading which incorporates context from multiple vertebrae and sequences, as a real radiologist would. The performance of each stage of the pipeline is tested in isolation on several clinical datasets, each consisting of 66 to 421 scans. The outputs are compared to manual annotations of expert radiologists, demonstrating accurate vertebrae detection across a range of scan parameters. Similarly, the model's grading predictions for various types of disc degeneration and detection of spinal metastases closely match those of an expert radiologist. To aid future research, our code and trained models are made publicly available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Thoracolumbar fractures are one of the most common fractures in clinical practice. Surgical intervention is recommended to restore spinal alignment or decompress the nerves when there are unstable fractures or neurological injuries. However, after excessive forward thrust force restoration, facet joint dislocation often occurs between the upper vertebra and the fractured vertebra, which usually leads to unsatisfactory reduction outcomes. Herein, we propose a novel spinal facet joint toothed plate to assist in fracture reduction. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the new spinal facet joint toothed plate in preventing facet joint dislocation, and its advantages compared to traditional pedicle screw‐rod decompression. Methods: A total of 26 patients in the toothed plate group and 93 patients in the traditional group who experienced thoracolumbar fracture with reduction were retrospectively included. Relevant patients' information and clinical parameters were collected. Furthermore, visual analogue scores (VAS) scores and Oswestry disability index (ODI) scores were also collected. Moreover, imaging parameters were calculated based on radiographs. Correlated data were analyzed by χ2 test and t test. Results: All patients in this study had no postoperative complications. Postoperative VAS scores and ODI scores (p < 0.001) were statistically significant (p < 0.001) in both groups compared with preoperative scores and further decreased (p < 0.001) at final follow‐up. In addition, the postoperative vertebral margin ratio (VMR) (p < 0.001) and vertebral angle of the injured vertebrae (p < 0.001) were significantly improved compared with the preoperative period. There were no significant differences in postoperative VAS scores and ODI scores between the two groups. However, toothed plate reduction significantly improved the VMR (p < 0.05) and vertebral angle (p < 0.05) compared with conventional reduction. Ultimately, the total screw accuracy was 98.72% (sum of levels 0 and I), with 100% screw accuracy in the segment related to the tooth plate in the tooth plate group. The dislocation rate was higher in the conventional group (6.45%) than in the new serrated plate repositioning group (0.00%). Conclusion: The facet toothed plate assisted reduction method prevents facet joint dislocation and improves fracture reduction compared to traditional reduction technique, hence it could be considered as a novel surgical strategy for thoracolumbar fracture reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate whether risk of new vertebral compression fractures (NVCFs) was associated with vicinity to treated vertebrae in percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs). All OVCF (T6-L5) patients treated with PVP between January 2016 and December 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Vicinity to treated vertebrae was defined as the number of vertebrae between an untreated and its closest treated level. The closest treated level was chosen as reference vertebra. Clinical, radiologic, and surgical parameters were compared between groups of reference vertebrae for each vicinity NVCF. In total, 1348 patients with 1592 fractured and 14,584 normal vertebrae were enrolled. NVCF was identified in 20.1% (271 of 1348) patients in 2.2% (319 of 14584) vertebrae in a mean follow-up time of 24.3 ± 11.9 months. Rate of NVCF in vicinity 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 level were 4.6% (130 of 2808), 2.4% (62 of 2558), 1.8% (42 of 2365), 1.5% (31 of 2131), 1.3% (23 of 1739), 1.3% (17 of 1298), 0.8% (7 of 847), 0.9% (4 of 450), 0.8% (2 of 245), 0.9% (1 of 117), and 0% (0 of 26), respectively. Rate of NVCF in vicinity 1 level was significantly higher than that in vicinity 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 level, respectively. However, compared to reference vertebrae for vicinity 1 NVCF, any clinical, radiologic, or surgical parameters were not significantly different in those for vicinity 2, 3, and 4 NVCF, respectively. The closer vicinity to treated vertebrae in PVP, the higher rate of NVCF at follow-up. However, any clinical, radiologic, or surgical parameters might not matter in this phenomenon of vicinity-related NVCF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pedicle screw and rod systems are widely employed in spine surgeries and loosening due to insufficient mechanical stimulation on the bone is frequently encountered in pedicle screws. This mechanical stimulation problem also arises due to the high rigidity of the implant material. This study aimed to develop new pedicle screws with composite material to solve the pedicle screw loosening problem. The vertebrae and vertebral disk were modeled in three dimension using computerized tomography images obtained from a patient. A commercially available pedicle screw was modeled using Fusion software, and all models were assembled in accordance with the surgical procedure. Pedicle screw models were also divided radially and longitudinally to resemble functionally graded materials, which are composite materials. The load was applied to the top of the T12 vertebra and the screw-vertebral system was fixed to the bottom of the L1 vertebra. The strain results on the vertebrae were examined according to the mechanostat theorem. According to the results, functionally graded material (FGM) pedicle screw decreased the strain on the vertebral bones, and the positive effects on the bone were determined when using the radially functionally graded screws. The maximum stress values were also examined to determine the strengths of all the models. In conclusion, FGM pedicle screw decreased the strain on the bone which is an important parameter for the loosening failure according to the study. The other important conclusion is that FGM pedicle screw can be the solution to the loosening of the screw but not in all vertebrae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Low‐energy vertebral fractures are a common health concern, especially in elderly people. Interestingly, African apes do not seem to experience as many vertebral fractures and the low‐energy ones are even rarer. One potential explanation for this difference is the lower bone density in humans. Yet, only limited research has been done on the vertebral bone density of the great apes and these have mainly included only single vertebrae. Hence the study aim is to expand our understanding of the vertebral microstructure of African apes in multiple spinal segments. Materials: Bone density in the vertebral body of C7, T12, and L3 was measured from 32 Pan troglodytes and 26 Gorilla gorilla using peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT). Results: There was a clear difference between the three individual vertebrae and consequently the spinal segments in terms of trabecular density and cortical density and thickness. The variation of these bone parameters between the vertebrae differed between the apes but was also different from those reported for humans. The chimpanzees were observed to have overall higher trabecular density, but gorillas had higher cortical density and thickness. Cortical thickness had a relatively strong association with the vertebral size. Discussion: Despite the similarity in locomotion and posture, the results show slight differences in the bone parameters and their variation between spinal segments in African apes. This variation also differs from humans and appears to indicate a complex influence of locomotion, posture, and body size on the different spinal segments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrical stimulation of pedicle screws is a technique used to ensure its correct placement within the vertebrae pedicle. Several authors have studied these screws' electrical properties with the objective of understanding if they are a potential source of false negatives. As titanium screws are anodized with different thicknesses of a high electrical resistance oxide (TiO2), this study investigated, using analytical, numerical, and experimental methods, how its thickness may affect pedicle screw's resistance and conductivity. Analytical results have demonstrated that the thickness of the TiO2 layer does result in a significant radial resistance increase (44.21 mΩ/nm, for Ø 4.5 mm), and a decrease of conductivity with layers thicker than 150 nm. The numerical approach denotes that the geometry of the screw further results in a decrease in the pedicle screw conductivity, especially after 125 nm. Additionally, the experimental results demonstrate that there is indeed an effective decrease in conductivity with an increase in the TiO2 layer thickness, which is also reflected in the screw's total resistance. While the magnitude of the resistance associated with each TiO2 layer thickness may not be enough to compromise the ability to use anodized pedicle screws with a high-voltage electrical stimulator, pedicle screws should be the subject of more frequent electrical characterisation studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medical imaging techniques such as digital radiography and ultrasonography are non‐invasive and provide precise results for examining internal organs and structures within fish. Their effectiveness can be further enhanced by using body parts like scales as markers for the organs beneath them. This study utilized the number of scales as landmarks in digital radiography and ultrasonography to non‐invasively evaluate the muscles, bones, and images of internal and reproductive organs of common carp (Cyprinus carpio). Digital radiography was performed in the dorsoventral and lateral views of the fish, whereas ultrasonography was conducted in longitudinal and transverse views on sequence scale numbers with brightness and colour Doppler‐modes. Digital radiography of the common carp revealed the whole‐body morphology, including the bony parts from the head, pectoral fins, dorsal fins, pelvic fins, anal fins, and vertebrae to the tail that appeared radiopaque. Internal organs were also observed, with the swim bladder and heart appeared radiolucent, while the intestines, liver, testes, and ovaries appeared radiopaque. Ultrasonography in brightness mode displayed the digestive organs, reproductive organs, and muscle thickness. Additionally, colour Doppler mode demonstrated blood flow within the heart's ventricle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the conclusions of a comparative analysis of six osteological features: the Structure of the vertebral column, the morphology of the predorsal bones, the vertebral column regionalization, the pterygiophore interdigitation with neural spines of dorsal fin, the pterygiophores interdigitation of with the haemal spines of the anal fin, and the intermuscular bones (IMB) and hypomerals (HM) of 12 clupeid species of the families Alosidae, Dorosomatidae, Dussumieridae and Ehiravidae. Conceivable taxonomically beneficial osteological features are nominated and utilized to discrete the clupeid species explored. Formulae for the structure of the vertebral column, the dorsal‐ and anal‐fin pterygiophores' interdigitation with the neural and haemal spines of the vertebrae are established. These morphological descriptive traits disclose a morphotype that may be related to the mode of swimming of the species searched. The morphological study of the vertebral column of the species in question permits the division of this bony structure into six morphologically different regions. This regionalization is more intricate than the classical division in abdominal and caudal parts only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Numerous diagnostic imaging-based studies (computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)) have focused on the shapes and sizes of the skull and neck of small and toy breed dogs in relation to disorders of the skull, vertebral column, and spinal cord. No such studies have particularly focused on the Pomeranian dog breed. The aims of Part I of this two-part study were to assess the intra-observer, interobserver and intermodality (CT vs. MRI) agreement for several features of the skull and vertebrae on CT and MRI studies. Multiple observers performed classifications of CM/SM and measurements on CT and MRI images of 99 Pomeranians. The results indicated that the reliability of classification of CM/SM between observers varied between different levels of experience and that the interobserver reliability of various measurements was imperfect. These results must be taken into account when assessing the results of future studies and when clinical cases are classified based on grading schemes. Background: Currently, there are no diagnostic imaging-based studies that have focused specifically on the craniocervical morphology of Pomeranian dogs in relation to Chiari-like malformation and syringomyelia (CM/SM). The aims of Part I of this two-part study are to assess the intra-observer, interobserver, and intermodality reliability and agreement for various aspects of the craniocervical morphology of Pomeranians with and without CM/SM. Methods: Prospectively, Pomeranians were included that underwent both CT and MRI studies of the head and cervicothoracic vertebral column. Two observers (experienced and novice) independently performed CM and SM classifications, qualitative assessments, and quantitative measurements. The experienced observer performed these assessments twice. A third observer (experienced) performed CM and SM normal or abnormal classifications. Results: Ninety-nine (99) dogs were included. Interobserver reliability was influenced by observer experience level. For the experienced versus novice observers, substantial interobserver agreement was found for classification of SM as normal or abnormal (Cohen's kappa = 0.63), while interobserver agreement was fair for classification of SM as normal or abnormal (Cohen's kappa = 0.31). Interobserver, intra-observer, and intermodality reliability were variable for different measurements and assessments, and best overall for the CT-based measurements. Conclusions: Interobserver reliability and agreement results should be taken into account in the evaluation of results of future studies as well as the evaluation of imaging studies of Pomeranians presented clinically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Cervical radiographs are more frequently being acquired or requested as part of a pre‐purchase examination (PPE). Evaluating radiographs allows for detection of diseases which may prejudice the horse's suitability for its intended purpose. A thorough clinical examination is the most important element of a PPE and limits the list of possible radiographic findings to those that can be subclinical. Radiographic findings such as morphological variations of the vertebrae, osteoarthritis and osteochondral fragmentation are often present in asymptomatic horses. Furthermore, current evidence suggests that most findings present on cervical radiographs acquired at PPE are of unknown or low significance in a clinically normal horse. There is also minimal evidence of the progression of subclinical cervical radiographic abnormalities and their future impact on performance. Due to the high level of superimposition that is inherent to cervical radiographs, the reliability of interpretation of these findings is often variable. Additionally, PPE radiographs are often acquired in the ambulatory setting and the limitations of the equipment and environment can compromise their diagnostic value. Therefore, at this time, there is little evidence to support the acquisition of cervical radiographs as part of a PPE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Operative treatment of adult spinal deformity (ASD) has been shown to improve patient health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Selection of the uppermost instrumented vertebra (UIV) in either the upper thoracic (UT) or lower thoracic (LT) spine is a pivotal decision with effects on operative and postoperative outcomes. This review overviews the multifaceted decision-making process for UIV selection in ASD correction. Methods: PubMed was queried for articles using the keywords "uppermost instrumented vertebra", "upper thoracic", "lower thoracic", and "adult spinal deformity". Results: Optimization of UIV selection may lead to superior deformity correction, better patient-reported outcomes, and lower risk of proximal junctional kyphosis (PJK) and failure (PJF). Patient alignment characteristics, including preoperative thoracic kyphosis, coronal deformity, and the magnitude of sagittal correction influence surgical decision-making when selecting a UIV, while comorbidities such as poor body mass index, osteoporosis, and neuromuscular pathology should also be taken in to account. Additionally, surgeon experience and resources available to the hospital may also play a role in this decision. Currently, it is incompletely understood whether postoperative HRQOLs, functional and radiographic outcomes, and complications after surgery differ between selection of the UIV in either the UT or LT spine. Conclusion: The correct selection of the UIV in surgical planning is a challenging task, which requires attention to preoperative alignment, patient comorbidities, clinical characteristics, available resources, and surgeon-specific factors such as experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The uniqueness of the atlas (C1) and axis (C2) cervical vertebrae helps in transmitting weight from the cranial cavity to the rest of the vertebral column. A detailed understanding of the C1 and C2 morphometric dimensions is essential for evaluating treatment protocols such as screw placement and intralaminar fixations to provide stability for the occipitocervical complex. Computerised Tomography (CT) scan images are best for demonstrating the osseous margins. Aim: To assess the relationship between the linear morphometric measurements of the CT images and dry C1 and C2 vertebrae. Materials and Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted using 35 atlas (C1) and 35 axis (C2) dry bones from the Department of Anatomy, Karuna Institute of Medical Sciences, Palakkad, Kerala, India, from August 2023 to October 2023. A total of 35 CT scan images were also taken for the study. Siemens Syngo software tool was utilised to assess the C1 and C2 vertebrae. Measurements of the vertebral canal, foramen transversarium, superior articular facets, vertebral artery groove, dens, and body were performed on dry C1, C2, and CT images. Descriptive statistics were evaluated using mean, standard deviation, percentage difference, and mean deviation. The unpaired t-test was used to test significance, with p-value <0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: Concerning the anatomical parameters, between the dry C1 and CT scan images, all linear parameters were statistically significant (p-value <0.05), except for the vertebral artery grooveinner and outer distances, which were not statistically significant. Regarding C2, when comparing anatomical parameters between dry vertebrae and CT scan images, the width of the body and the length of the vertebral canal were not statistically significant, while all other C2 parameters were statistically significant (p-value <0.05). Conclusion: The results obtained from the study on the atlas and axis may be valuable for operating surgeons during surgical procedures in the craniovertebral region. The present study also aids in preventing iatrogenic complications, including vertebral neurovascular injuries, and provides a roadmap for skilled surgical access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background A widely accepted set of imaging criteria or classification has not yet been adopted to evaluate response to treatment by percutaneous sclerotherapy for aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC). In this article, we described and illustrated the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital (ROH) scoring system which is a new, reproducible, and objective tool to evaluate the radiological response. We also reported our institutional experience in the efficacy of computed tomography (CT)-guided sclerotherapy for treating such lesions. Patients and Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted for 19 patients who underwent CT-guided sclerotherapy with doxycycline and albumin to treat ABC. Follow-up magnetic resonance imaging, at a minimum of 12 months, was assessed according to the four ROH scoring system parameters: cystic component, fluid–fluid level, presence of consolidation, and cortical integrity. The cumulative score was used to grade response as either: excellent, good, equivocal, or poor. Results Out of 19 patients with a mean age of 17.8 years, 11 cases occurred in the long bones, 5 cases in the pelvis, and 1 in each of the C3 vertebral body, scapula, and talus. The mean parameter of response score for cystic component was 2, fluid–fluid level was 1.3, consolidation was 2, and cortical integrity was 2.1. Four cases showed excellent response, 12 cases showed good response, 2 cases showed equivocal response, and 1 case showed poor response. Interrater reliability was excellent (κ = 0.9). Conclusion The ROH scoring system provides the radiologist and surgeon with an objective method to score imaging parameters of response independently and achieve a grade based on the cumulative score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widths of medial and lateral pedicle walls in the normal spine of middle-aged and elderly adults have been investigated and these studies found that the medial pedicle wall was thicker than the lateral pedicle wall. However, none had evaluated the widths of medial and lateral pedicle walls on adolescent or young adult scoliotic spines. This study aims to identify the distribution and variation of medial and lateral pedicle wall widths throughout the different vertebral levels of the scoliotic spine and its differences according to age, gender, body mass index (BMI), maturity, curve types and curve severity in adolescent idiopathic scoliotic (AIS) patients with major thoracic curves. Retrospective study. A total of 6,230 pedicles (right: 3,064, left: 3,166) from 191 patients were included in this study, with 264 (right: 183, left: 81) fully corticalized pedicles excluded from analysis. Demographic data were age, gender, height, weight, BMI, Risser grade, Lenke curve types and Cobb angles. The main outcome measures were medial and lateral pedicle wall widths. Associations between pedicle wall widths and demographic data were calculated. This was a subanalytical retrospective study done on the same patient population as the previously published study on pedicle grading. The data was obtained from the main computed tomography (CT) scan pedicle study dataset. Medial and lateral pedicle wall widths were measured in the axial slices of CT scans from T1 to L5 vertebrae. A total of 6,230 pedicles (right: 3,064, left: 3,166) from 191 patients were included in this study with 264 (right: 183, left: 81) fully corticalized pedicles excluded from analysis. Right-sided medial pedicle wall widths were narrower from T4–T10 (0.75±0.23 mm) compared to T1–T3 (0.89±0.28 mm) and T11–L5 (0.92±0.30 mm). Left-sided medial pedicle wall widths were narrower from T4 to T7 (0.76±0.24 mm) compared to T1–T3 (0.88±0.26 mm) and T8–L5 (0.90±0.27 mm). Medial cortical wall widths were significantly thicker compared to lateral cortical wall widths for all vertebras from T1 to L5 (right medial 0.85±0.28 mm vs lateral 0.64±0.26 mm (p<.001), left medial 0.86±0.26 mm vs lateral 0.64±0.26 mm (p<.001)). The left medial pedicle wall widths were marginally significantly (p<.001) thicker than the right side (right medial 0.85±0.28 mm vs left 0.86±0.26 mm). The main notable significant differences were located at the periapical region of the thoracic curve between T7 to T10 with the left concave medial pedicle width being thicker than the right convex medial pedicle width. The thinnest medial pedicle walls were located at right concave T7 (0.73±0.24 mm) and T8 (0.73±0.23 mm). We generally found no significant associations between the medial and lateral pedicle wall widths with age, gender, BMI, Risser grade, Cobb angle and curve types. Knowledge on the widths of medial and lateral pedicle walls, their distribution and differences in a scoliotic spine is important for pedicle screw fixation, especially during pedicle probing to find the pedicle channel. The medial pedicle wall widths were significantly thicker than the lateral pedicle wall widths in AIS patients with major thoracic curves. The right concave periapical region had the thinnest medial pedicle walls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The atlas vertebra is an atypical cervical vertebra thereby having certain important features to accommodate the widest diameter of spinal cord. Its position is vital as it is closely related to medulla oblongata containing respiratory, cardiac and vascular centers. These centers can get compromised by varying degree of traumatic conditions involving atlanto-axial complex or atlantooccipital joint pathologies. Therefore, maintaining the stability of this complex is pivotal. Among the various surgical procedures posterior fixation is often adopted to maintain the stability of atlanto occipital joint. The Aim of present study was to perform the morphometrical analysis in dry adult atlas vertebra. Material and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 43 dry, undamaged human Atlas vertebra (C1) of unknown sex, age and race obtained from the bone bank of department of Anatomy, Government medical college Srinagar. Results: The transverse and the anteroposterior diameter of atlas in millimeters (mm) were 79.83 ± 6.59 and 45.52 ± 4.23 respectively, the anteroposterior and the transverse diameter of vertebral canal in millimeters were 3 2 . 6 3 ± 3.07 and 30.21 ± 2.89 respectively. The Length of right and the left vertebral artery groove in millimeters were 15.31 ± 3.81 and 15.91 ± 2.63 respectively. Length and width of right superior articular facet was 21.3 ± 2.46 and 14.73 ± 1.83 respectively and the length and width of right inferior articular facet was 17.14 ± 2.03 and 11.84 ± 2.13 respectively. Length and width of left superior articular facet was 21.03 ± 2.36 and 14.43 ± 2.03 respectively and the length and width of left inferior articular facet was 16.83 ± 2.36 and 10.05 ± 2.31 respectively. Conclusion: The precise knowledge of various morphometric parameters of atlas and their comparison with the studies conducted by other researcher's will be very benevolent in the manufacturing of instruments related to atlas vertebrae. The current study will contribute to a better knowledge of diverse bone dimensions, which may aid with preoperative planning and diagnostics when operating near vital structures like the vertebral artery and nerve roots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]