BackgroundMinimally invasive sacroiliac joint arthrodesis ("MI SIJ fusion") received a Category I CPT® code (27279) effective January 1, 2015 and was assigned a work relative value unit ("RVU") of 9.03. The International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery ("ISASS") conducted a study consisting of a Rasch analysis of two separate surveys of surgeons to assess the accuracy of the assigned work RVU.

Although research has found that students value timely, formative feedback, it’s unknown how students’ prior experiences influence their expectations for feedback in online learning environments. Two workshops were conducted to examine college students’ perceptions and preferences about feedback during traditional and online instruction. Survey, short response, and interview questions were used to collect students’ self-reported experiences in receiving and using feedback with a variety of work products (e.g., essays) in traditional academic experiences, examining their self-reported challenges and needs during online learning tasks. Students collaboratively worked to design storyboards that depicted optimal feedback environments for an online instructional system. Results show that students’ (positive and negative) prior experiences with traditional feedback guide their perceived preferences regarding online feedback. Students were aware of many specific challenges that they faced during online research, and expressed a strong desire for technologies that could support identification of valid and relevant online content. Self-reported, online feedback needs were consistent with successful features of digital learning environments that have been shown to support deeper learning. This research suggests that students’ perceived needs and preferences have a strong impact on the degree to which they are likely to value and utilize feedback in online learning environments.

BackgroundIn this preliminary study we used a goat model to quantify pressure at an interbody bone graft interface. Although the study was designed to assess fusion status, the concept behind the technology could lead to early detection of implant failure and potential hazardous complications related to motion-preservation devices. Th e purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of in vivo pressure monitoring as a strategy to determine fusion status. MethodsTelemetric pressure transducers were implanted, and pressure at the bone graft interfaces of cervical interbody fusion autografts placed into living goats (Groups A and B) was evaluated. Group A constituted the 4-month survival group and Group B the 6-month survival group. One goat served as the study control (Group C) and was not implanted with a pressure transducer. An additional six cadaveric goat cervical spines (Group D) were obtained from a local slaughterhouse and implanted with bone grafts and ventral plates and used for in vitro biomechanical comparison to the specimens from Groups A and B. ResultsAll goats demonstrated an increase in interface pressure within the fi rst 10 days postoperatively, with the largest relative change in pressure occurring between the sixth and ninth days. Th e goats from Groups A and B had a 200% to 400% increase in relative pressure. ConclusionsAlthough this was a pilot study to assess pressure as an indicator for a fusion or pseudarthrosis, the preliminary data suggest that early bone healing is detectable by an increase in pressure. Th us, pressure may serve as an indicator of fusion status by detecting altered biomechanical parameters.

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tions with dosages of medications, which enhances the text's usefulness as a reference source.However, despite some of these shortcomings, the book is instructive and valuable. The first 2 sections cover patient assessment and care, performance improvement, epidemiology, anatomy, molecular biology, and physiology. These chapters are well-written and provide a basic framework, particularly for residents or students beginning their study of women's health. The sections discussing preinvasive and invasive neoplasia are well formulated, with excellent illustrations; the chapter discussing intraepithelial disease of the cervix presents strategies of management that will be particularly useful to generalist obstetriciangynecologists. The 3 chapters in the new section on urogynecology and pelvic reconstructive surgery are carefully constructed and written in a thoughtful manner. The evaluation of patients with various forms of incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse and the nonsurgical management of these problems will be particularly useful to physicians managing such patients. The section discussing preventive and primary care provides a straightforward overview of these important topics. In particular, the material covering complementary therapy is a valuable resource that is not well covered in other texts. However, although the chapter on primary care is concise and well written, it is unclear whether many gynecologists will actually manage some of the conditions depicted in the chapter. The general gynecology section covers many of the conditions encountered by the generalist obstetrician-gynecologist. The chapters on infections and sexually transmitted diseases and benign breast disease provide stepwise approaches to both diagnosis and treatment. The chapter on benign diseases of the reproductive tract is comprehensive, given the amount of material covered. However, the chapter could use more descriptions, discussion of treatment, and photographs of vulvar lesions. The section dealing with reproductive endocrinology provides clear summaries of the many issues related to this topic, although there is some overlap between some chapters. The chapters on recurrent pregnancy loss and the menopause are timely and give a clear perspective of our current understanding of these issues. The chapter on preoperative evaluation and postoperative management will be valuable for residents as an important part of their knowledge base as they learn the principles and techniques of gynecologic surgery. The chapter on gynecologic endoscopy provides an overview of this topic and a pragmatic discussion of its complications.Although the vast majority of the chapters in this text are well written, in future editions the editor may wish to further define the intended audience and to reassess the overall goal of the text as it pertains to that audience. Although the stated goal is to "provide a comprehensive summary of the specialty of gynecology," as written it is much more a text of women's health, with emphasis on classic gynecologic i...