The use of biological products in spine treatments is increasing, but more reliable data about their use are needed, according to a series of presentations during the NASS Annual Meeting's final session, Biologics: A Critical Review of the Evidence. Read More...

The spine is the most common site of skeletal metastases, which are linked to 25,000 cases of spinal compression annually. The November 5 symposium, Current Techniques in the Management of Spine Tumors, featured four presentations examining variables in different patients, treatment options and en bloc resection. Read More...

Nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other allied health professionals learned about reviewing imaging characteristics of failed spine surgery syndrome and spinal masqueraders, and presented tips in the diagnosis and treatment of cervical spine problems during the November 4 PA/NP Track Breakout Session: Failed Back and Cervical Spine. Read More...

Six studies examined total disc replacement surgery, patient satisfaction, author expectations in submitting research, recurrent spine surgery, the impact of physician reimbursement on health care costs and variability in spine surgery rates during the November 4 concurrent session: Quality of Life and Outcomes. Read More...

The well-attended symposium, Using Comparative Effectiveness Research to Support Your Spine Care Practice, presented November 4, provided NASS Annual Meeting attendees with strategies for understanding the increasing role of comparative effectiveness research (CER) in treatment and reimbursement decisions. Read More...

Presentations during the November 5 Psychosocial concurrent session addressed several interesting topics, including a comparison of preoperative pain expectations and postoperative pain, and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores most important in measuring quality of life. The session also discussed how patient assessments compare to clinician assessments, how spine treatment affects depression, a new measurement of treatment effectiveness and the effect of smoking on ODI scores. Read More...

The latest approaches in spine surgery, the promise of stem cell use, and tips for using imaging in diagnosis and treatment were discussed in the November 4 Nursing Track breakout session, Minimally Invasive Surgery and Future Therapies. Read More...