Risk Factors Associated with Aggravation of Cervical Spine Lesions in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Retrospective Longitudinal Cohort Study

Study Design. A retrospective cohort study. Objective. To examine factors related to severe aggravation of preexisting cervical lesions in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) under current pharmacologic treatments with biologics. Summary of Background Data. Advanced RA cervical lesions carry a risk of irreversible damage to the spinal cord; however, risk factors for aggravation are unclear after the use of biologics became more popular. Methods. Of 166 patients with preexisting cervical lesions at baseline, 87 who had cervical X-ray images taken at baseline and at the final visit (with an interval of more than 1 yr) were evaluated retrospectively. Aggravated instabilities determined at the final visit, were defined as follows: atlantoaxial subluxation (AAS) = atlantodental interval ≧ 10 mm; vertebral subluxation (VS) = a Ranawat value
Source: Spine - Category: Orthopaedics Tags: CERVICAL SPINE Source Type: research