Introduction Odontoid diameter in some individuals may not be large enough to accommodate two 3.5-mm cortical screws for anterior odontoid fracture fixation. The study was performed to evaluate, in a Brazilian population, the diameter of the odontoid process and the feasibility of using two 3.5-mm cortical screws for anterior odontoid fracture fixation. Materials and methods Computed tomographic (CT) scans of 88 adult patients (aged 18-78 years) were analyzed; 40 patients (45%) were male (mean age: 43.08 years) and 48 (55%) were female (mean age: 43.39 years). The minimum external and internal anteroposterior and transverse diameters of the odontoid process on sagittal and coronal planes were measured on CT multiplanar reconstructions of the cervical spine. Results The mean value of the minimum external anteroposterior diameter was 10.83 ± 1.08 and 7.53 ± 1.10 mm for the minimum internal anteroposterior diameter. The mean value of the minimum external transverse diameter was 9.19 ± 0.91 and 6.07 ± 1.08 mm for the minimum internal transverse diameter. The mean AP diameter was significantly larger than the mean transverse diameter; 57 (65%) individuals had the minimum external transverse diameter [9.0 mm that would allow the insertion of two 3.5-mm cortical screws with tapping, and five (6%) individuals had the minimum internal transverse diameter [8.0 mm that would allow the insertion of two 3.5-mm cortical screws without tapping. Conclusions The insertion of two 3.5-mm cortical screws was possible for anterior fixation of odontoid fracture in 57 (65%) individuals of our study, and there was no statistical difference between males and females.

A ultra-sonografia e o Doppler representaram grande marco no diagnóstico da hipertensão portal. Este fato decorre do aspecto não-invasivo destes métodos, possibilitando o estudo do fígado, do baço e da circulação esplâncnica. Neste artigo os autores discutem alguns aspectos importantes avaliados pela ultra-sonografia e pelo Doppler na avaliação da hipertensão portal. Unitermos: Hipertensão portal; Fígado; Ultra-sonografia; Doppler. Doppler evaluation in portal hypertension.Ultrasonography and Doppler ultrasonography have dramatically improved the diagnosis of portal hypertension thanks to the noninvasive visualization of the liver, spleen and splanchnic blood flow. In this article the authors discuss some important issues raised by the use of ultrasound and Doppler in the evaluation of portal hypertension.

Study Design: Multicentric retrospective study, Level of evidence III. Objective: The objective of this multicentric study was to analyze the prevalence and risk factors of early postoperative complications in adult spinal deformity patients treated with fusion. Additionally, we studied the impact of complications on unplanned readmission and hospital length of stay. Methods: Eight spine centers from 6 countries in Latin America were involved in this study. Patients with adult spinal deformity treated with fusion surgery from 2017 to 2019 were included. Baseline and surgical characteristics such as age, sex, comorbidities, smoking, number of levels fused, number of surgical approaches were analyzed. Postoperative complications at 30 days were recorded according to Clavien-Dindo and Glassman classifications. Results: 172 patients (120 females/52 males, mean age 59.4 ± 17.6) were included in our study. 78 patients suffered complications (45%) at 30 days, 43% of these complications were considered major. Unplanned readmission was observed in 35 patients (20,3%). Risk factors for complications were: Smoking, previous comorbidities, number of levels fused, two or more surgical approaches and excessive bleeding. Hospital length of stay in patients without and with complications was of 7.8 ± 13.7 and 17 ± 31.1 days, respectively ( P 0.0001). Conclusion: The prevalence of early postoperative complications in adult spinal deformity patients treated with fusion was of 45% in our study with 20% of unplanned readmissions at 30 days. Presence of complications significantly increased hospital length of stay.

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OBJETIVO: avaliar se existe relação entre o número de parafusos pediculares (densidade de parafusos) e o percentual de correção da curva principal no tratamento cirúrgico das escolioses neuromusculares. MÉTODOS: foram avaliados, retrospectivamente, 55 pacientes portadores de escoliose neuromuscular submetidos ao tratamento cirúrgico por meio de artrodese exclusivamente pela via posterior. Foram analisados o valor da curva pré-operatória, o percentual de correção e o valor da curva pós-operatória nas radiografias no pré-operatório e no pós-operatório imediato. Foi calculada a densidade de parafuso (número de parafusos por pedículo na área correspondente à curva principal) e avaliada a sua relação com o percentual de correção pela análise de correlação de Spearman. RESULTADOS: dos 55 pacientes, 28 (51%) eram do sexo feminino e 27 (49%) do masculino, com média de idade de 16,04 anos (dp=4,45). A doença de base mais frequente foi a paralisia cerebral. O valor da escoliose pré-operatória foi, em média, de 81,96º (dp=25,49) e da escoliose residual de 33,82º (dp=19,02), com percentual de correção de 60,28% (dp=15,89). Houve uma relação positiva (r=0,266) e estatisticamente significante entre a densidade de parafusos e a correção da deformidade (p=0,045). CONCLUSÕES: no tratamento cirúrgico das deformidades neuromusculares existe uma relação positiva entre o maior número de parafusos dentro da área da curva principal e o percentual de correção.