Kissing spines: fact or fancy?

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Orthopedics
• Spine Surgery

Background:

• Baastrup's syndrome, also known as "kissing spines", is a condition characterized by spinous process impingement.
• Surgical intervention has been historically employed for symptomatic "kissing spines".

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the surgical outcomes for patients treated for "kissing spines" between 1975 and 1985.
• To evaluate the efficacy of surgical management for this specific spinal condition.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 64 patients who underwent surgery for "kissing spines".
• Data collected from the Neurosurgical Clinic in Groningen between 1975 and 1985.

Main Results:

• The study found surgical treatment results for "kissing spines" to be disappointing.
• Further analysis was conducted due to unsatisfactory outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Surgical treatment for "kissing spines" may yield suboptimal results.
• Re-evaluation of surgical indications and techniques for Baastrup's syndrome is warranted.