Pubmed article service

[Guest guest]

I don't think the article service is expensive, it just takes a few weeks.

You didn't need to be a member last time I looked. Membership allows you

to get the articles for free. I believe you can order on line also, which

is convenient. To do your own searches on the database, either visit pubmed,

or the national institute of health's NIH website and chose the literature

link. This is where I got much of the information to support the thesis

of my web site. Just searching for Flatback won't bring up all articles.

In medical terms, it has many complex names: sagittal imbalance, coronal

imbalance, sagittal deformity, osteotomy, sagittal plane imbalance, Harrington

rod, distraction instrumentation, segmented spine instrumentation, scoliosis,

fail back surgery, pseudarthrosis, unhealed fusion, junctional failure, revision

surgery, scoliosis salvage, fusion failure, bone donor site, spinal surgery

imbalance, crank shaft syndrome, ....

off the top of my head, but their are other medical terms for associated

conditions. Even if the abstract doesn't seem to have a hint of information

regarding Flatback, it may give you back ground information if you read the

entire article. For instance, I learned of the history of the old Harrington

rods, and of what Harrington thought of them. This helps you understand

the whole picture. Here is a quote from a relatively obscure article:

"(Harrington) envisioned

as the future a common database or registry of all SRS members' patients

with treatment results. Unfortunately, we failed to follow his lead"

"Harrington's instrumentation underwent modifications...Moe identified a problem with iatrogenic loss of lumbar lordosis (Flatback Syndrome) in adults treated with distraction instrumentation

of their lumbar curves. Utilization of a Moe modified square-ended rod and

square hook allows for better sagittal contour." The referenced Moe article

is dated 1980.

"Cortel and Dubousset introduced

their segmental instrumentation system in 1984. This method of fixation

was said to provide three-dimensional correction of the scoliotic deformity"

(Flatback Syndrome caused by the old Harrington style system.)

"...newer methods for operative

treatment of idiopathic (scoliosis) are being introduced today without pre-market

scientific studies to evaluate efficacy. Much suffering for patients and

societies alike could be spared by adherence to the principles of controlled

clinical comparisons. It is true Harrington did not perform these..." K.Moen

I found this in the whole article, not in the abstract. Suzy Habibi (I do

have a connection at NIH and can get these article easily.)