| 1. |
- Fritzell, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Cost-effectiveness of lumbar fusion and nonsurgical treatment for chronic low back pain in the Swedish lumbar spine study : A multicenter, randomized, controlled trial from the Swedish Lumbar Spine Study Group
- 2004
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Ingår i: Spine. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0362-2436 .- 1528-1159. ; 29:4, s. 421-434
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Study Design. A cost-effectiveness study was performed from the societal and health care perspectives. Objective. To evaluate the costs-effectiveness of lumbar fusion for chronic low back pain (CLBP) during a 2-year follow-up. Summary of Background Data. A full economic evaluation comparing costs related to treatment effects in patients with CLBP is lacking. Patients and Methods. A total of 284 of 294 patients with CLBP for at least 2 years were randomized to either lumbar fusion or a nonsurgical control group. Costs for the health care sector ( direct costs), and costs associated with production losses ( indirect costs) were calculated. Societal total costs were identified as the sum of direct and indirect costs. Treatment effects were measured using patient global assessment of improvement, back pain ( VAS), functional disability (Owestry), and return to work. Results. The societal total cost per patient ( standard deviations) in the surgical group was significantly higher than in the nonsurgical group: Swedish kroner (SEK) 704,000 ( 254,000) vs. SEK 636,000 ( 208,000). The cost per patient for the health care sector was significantly higher for the surgical group, SEK 123,000 ( 60,100) vs. 65,200 ( 38,400) for the control group. All treatment effects were significantly better after surgery. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio ( ICER), illustrating the extra cost per extra effect unit gained by using fusion instead of nonsurgical treatment, were for improvement: SEK 2,600 ( 600 - 5,900), for back pain: SEK 5,200 ( 1,100 - 11,500), for Oswestry: SEK 11,300 ( 1,200 - 48,000), and for return to work: SEK 4,100 ( 100 21,400). Conclusion. For both the society and the health care sectors, the 2-year costs for lumbar fusion was significantly higher compared with nonsurgical treatment but all treatment effects were significantly in favor of surgery. The probability of lumbar fusion being cost-effective increased with the value put on extra effect units gained by using surgery.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Baranto, Adad, 1966, et al.
(författare)
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Back pain and MRI changes in the thoraco-lumbar spine of top athletes in four different sports: a 15-year follow-up study
- 2009
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Ingår i: Knee surgery, Sports traumatology, Arthroscopy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0942-2056 .- 1433-7347. ; 17:9, s. 1125-1134
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A total 71 male athletes (weight lifters, wrestlers, orienteers, and ice-hockey players) and 21 non-athletes were randomly selected, for a baseline MRI study. After 15 years all the participants at baseline were invited to take part in a follow-up examination, including a questionnaire on back pain and a follow-up MRI examination. Thirty-two athletes and all non-athletes had disc height reduction at one or several disc levels. Disc degeneration was found in more than 90% of the athletes and deterioration had occurred in 88% of the athletes, with the highest frequency in weight lifters and ice-hockey players. 78% of the athletes and 38% of the non-athletes reported previous or present history of back pain at baseline and 71 and 75%, respectively at follow-up. There was no statistically significant correlation between back pain and MRI changes. In conclusion, athletes in sports with severe or moderate demands on the back run a high risk of developing disc degeneration and other abnormalities of the spine on MRI and they report high frequency of back pain. The study confirmed our hypothesis, i.e. that most of the spinal abnormalities in athletes seem to occur during the growth spurt, since the majority of the abnormalities demonstrated at follow-up MRI after the sports career were present already at baseline. The abnormalities found at young age deteriorated to a varying degree during the 15-year follow-up, probably due to a combination of continued high load sporting activities and normal ageing. Preventive measures should be considered to avoid the development of these injuries in young athletes.
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| 6. |
- Danielsson, Aina, 1953, et al.
(författare)
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The prevalence of disc aging and back pain after fusion extending into the lower lumbar spine. A matched MR study twenty-five years after surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.
- 2001
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Ingår i: Acta radiologica (Stockholm, Sweden : 1987). - 0284-1851. ; 42:2, s. 187-97
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To determine the long-term outcome after fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in terms of degenerative disc findings diagnosed using MR imaging and to elucidate the clinical consequences.Thirty-two patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, who had undergone spinal fusion using Harrington rods to the lower lumbar spine with one or two unfused discs below the fusion, were re-examined 25 years after the fusion. The re-examinations included validated questionnaires, clinical examination, full standing frontal and lateral radiographs and MR examination of the lower lumbar region. Curve size and degenerative findings on MR images were evaluated by two unbiased radiologists, blinded to the clinical findings. A matched control group of 32 persons without scoliosis was subjected to the same examinations.There were significantly more degenerative disc changes (p<0.0001), disc height reduction (p=0.0010) and end-plate changes (p<0.0001 for both upper and lower end-plates) in the lowest unfused disc in the patient group compared with the control group. The MR findings in the lowest unfused disc, but not the one above, in the patient group correlated to lumbar pain intensity as well as to the diminished lumbar lordosis.
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| 7. |
- Halldin, Klas, 1967, et al.
(författare)
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Clinical application of a new three-dimensional radiological classification of lumbar disc herniations
- 2005
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Ingår i: Ups J Med Sci. - 0300-9734. ; 110:2, s. 159-65
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The results after lumbar discectomy are usually satisfactory. However, there is a group of patients with less favorable result. The predictive factors affecting the result are not fully understood. In this paper a new radiological classification for lumbar disc herniations has been used in order to study the predictive value of the type and location of the herniation for the postoperative result. 142 patients operated with standard lumbar discectomy were included in the study. The preoperative CT-scans were used to classify the disc herniations in the transverse, sagittal and longitudinal directions and the size of the herniations were calculated. At a mean of 7.7 years postoperatively a patient administrated questionnaire was used to compare the clinical results to the radiological findings. A significantly smaller size of the lumbar disc herniation was found with increasing age, which could reflect the increased degeneration of the disc. Patients with a wide transverse distribution of the herniation seem to have a less favorable postoperative outcome in terms of higher rate of repeat surgery (p = 0.056). No other correlations were found.
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| 8. |
- Pesonen, Ida, et al.
(författare)
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High prevalence of interstitial lung abnormalities in middle-aged never-smokers
- 2023
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Ingår i: ERJ Open Research. - : European Respiratory Society. - 2312-0541. ; 9:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Interstitial lung abnormalities (ILA) are incidental findings on chest computed tomography (CT). These patterns can present at an early stage of fibrotic lung disease. Our aim was to estimate the prevalence of ILA in the Swedish population, in particular in never-smokers, and find out its association with demographics, comorbidities and symptoms.METHODS: Participants were recruited to the Swedish CArdioPulmonary BioImage Study (SCAPIS), a population-based survey including men and women aged 50-64 years performed at six university hospitals in Sweden. CT scan, spirometry and questionnaires were performed. ILA were defined as cysts, ground-glass opacities, reticular abnormality, bronchiectasis and honeycombing.FINDINGS: Out of 29 521 participants, 14 487 were never-smokers and 14 380 were men. In the whole population, 2870 (9.7%) had ILA of which 134 (0.5%) were fibrotic. In never-smokers, the prevalence was 7.9% of which 0.3% were fibrotic. In the whole population, age, smoking history, chronic bronchitis, cancer, coronary artery calcium score and high-sensitive C-reactive protein were associated with ILA. Both ILA and fibrotic ILA were associated with restrictive spirometric pattern and impaired diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide. However, individuals with ILA did not report more symptoms compared with individuals without ILA.INTERPRETATION: ILA are common in a middle-aged Swedish population including never-smokers. ILA may be at risk of being underdiagnosed among never-smokers since they are not a target for screening.
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| 9. |
- Weidow, Jonas, 1960, et al.
(författare)
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Ahlback grading of osteoarthritis of the knee: poor reproducibility and validity based on visual inspection of the joint
- 2006
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Ingår i: Acta Orthop. - : Medical Journals Sweden AB. - 1745-3674. ; 77:2, s. 262-6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Staging of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is commonly based on the Ahlback classification. Its value has been questioned, however. We therefore evaluated the reproducibility and validity of this classification of knee osteoarthritis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 48 patients (48 knees) (medial OA: n = 30; lateral OA: n = 8) operated with total knee prostheses were studied. Weight-bearing radiographs were evaluated twice by 4 observers. Presence of bone attrition on radiographs was compared with observations of the resected parts of the distal femur and proximal tibia. RESULTS: When the same observer classified the radio-graphs twice according to Ahlback, the repeatability was fair in both medial OA (kappa values = 0.15-0.65) and lateral OA (0.59-0.76), and between different observers it was poor (kappa: 0.1). Comparison between radiographic classification and classification based on visual inspection of the bone pieces removed during arthroplasty revealed an acceptable sensitivity in both medial (67-95%) and lateral OA (43-86%), but the specificity was low (medial: 11-67%; lateral: 25-75%). INTERPRETATION: The main problem with the Ahlback classification was that a joint space could often be seen radiographically despite the presence of bone attrition on the preparations. According to our study, conventional radiographs do not give sufficient information for correct grading.
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| 10. |
- Weidow, Jonas, 1960, et al.
(författare)
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Standing radiographs underestimate joint width: comparison before and after resection of the joint in 34 total knee arthroplasties
- 2004
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Ingår i: Acta Orthop Scand. - 0001-6470. ; 75:3, s. 315-22
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Measurement or estimation of joint width is routinely used in the preoperative evaluation of gonarthrosis. To our knowledge, the validity and reproducibility of this procedure has not been adequately studied. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We measured joint width in 34 knees (medial arthrosis: n = 22, lateral arthrosis: n = 12) on preoperative weight-bearing radiographs and on radiographs of the corresponding part of the joint after knee arthroplasty. The bone/cartilage pieces were placed in anatomical positions and loaded in a jig made of perspex. High-density film was used to obtain maximum resolution. RESULTS: In medial and lateral arthrosis, the minimum joint widths were median 0.3 and 0.2 mm smaller on the radiographs of the specimens (p = 0.05, 0.04). In lateral arthrosis the differences were more scattered (95% CI: lateral: 0.1 to -1.2 mm; medial: 0 to -0.5 mm), suggesting less precise determination. INTERPRETATION: In medial arthrosis, the degree of underestimation is usually small and acceptable. More pronounced discrepancies could be found in lateral arthrosis, calling for the use of further diagnostic measures.
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