The use of lumbar spinal instrumentation - a technique where adjacent vertebrae are induced to fuse, facilitated by devices - has sharply increased in the USA in recent years. But is there evidence that using instrumentation improves patient outcomes? Dr Maya Babu, from the Mayo clinic, Rochester, USA, tells us more.

We also delve into the neurological conditions associated with air travel. Dr Araceli Alonso-Cánovas, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain, describes the pattern of referrals her hospital received from their local airport and what could be done to reduce them.

See also:
A review of lumbar spinal instrumentation: evidence and controversy
Neurology at the airport