Spine

STUDY DESIGN: Case report and literature review. OBJECTIVE: To describe a unique case of recurrent cerebral embolisms with "bilateral" atlantoaxial rotational vertebral artery occlusion (RVAO), and review the literature on this rare entity. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The few reports of bilateral bow hunter's stroke (BHS) contain either RVAO at the subaxial level, and BHS associated with bilateral RVAO at the atlantoaxial level has never been reported...

STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive. OBJECTIVE: To describe the design and development of Bracing in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Trial (BrAIST). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Bracing has remained the standard of care for the nonoperative treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis since the introduction of the Milwaukee brace in the late 1940s, but it has never been subjected to a rigorous evaluation of either its efficacy or its effectiveness. The BrAIST was designed to address the primary question: Do braces (specifically a thoracolumbosacral orthosis) lower the risk of curve progression to a surgical threshold (≥50°) in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis relative to watchful waiting alone? METHODS: The authors describe the rationale for BrAIST, including the limitations of the current literature evaluating bracing for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis...

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of kinetic magnetic resonance images. OBJECTIVE: To define the prevalence of degenerative cervical spondylolisthesis in symptomatic patients and to analyze the motion characteristics and influence on the spinal canal at the affected level. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: When compared with lumbar spondylolisthesis, there are few studies evaluating cervical spondylolisthesis, and the prevalence and motion characteristics of cervical spondylolisthesis are not well defined...