{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,12]],"date-time":"2026-08-12T13:38:26Z","timestamp":1786541906075,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"16","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,12]],"date-time":"2026-08-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1786492800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100015550","name":"Italian Ministry of Health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["5 \u00d7 1000 year 2023"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["5 \u00d7 1000 year 2023"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100015550","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Cancers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Objectives: Spinal tumors often require complex surgical treatments, in particular en bloc vertebrectomy, and a pre-operative kinematics and functional assessment of the spine could be advised to improve surgical outcomes and patients\u2019 quality of life. However, established protocols for stereophotogrammetry-based gait analysis are not available. This study aims at evaluating the feasibility of an experimental protocol for multi-segment trunk and spine kinematics in patients scheduled for en bloc vertebrectomy. Methods: Ten patients and ten age- and sex-matched healthy controls underwent full-body gait analysis using an established marker-set able to track the lower limbs, pelvis, thorax, shoulders, and five spine line segments. The participants completed static double leg standing, barefoot level walking, and elementary trunk movements. A preliminary within-session repeatability assessment in two individuals (one representative patient and one healthy participant) was performed (root mean square error smaller than 10% of ROM; intra-class correlation coefficients &gt; 0.8). Results: Compared with controls, patients affected by spinal tumors showed slower gait, shorter stride length, smaller ROM at the pelvis and thorax, and reduced frontal-plane mobility between spine line segments, but physiological lower-limb joint kinematics. During elementary movements, patients exhibited reduced trunk ROM in the anatomical plane of motion, particularly at a central spine segment, and smaller pelvic mobility in axial rotations. Conclusions: The results of this study support the feasibility of the proposed protocol for gait analysis in the rare clinical population of patients affected by spinal tumors and provide descriptive functional information that may complement conventional pre-operative clinical and imaging assessments.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/cancers18162599","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,12]],"date-time":"2026-08-12T12:53:48Z","timestamp":1786539228000},"page":"2599","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Quantitative Functional Assessment of Patients Undergoing En Bloc Vertebrectomy for Spinal Tumors: A Multi-Segment Motion Analysis Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"given":"Francesca","family":"Bressan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Movement Analysis Laboratory IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Riccardo","family":"Ghermandi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Complex Spinal Surgery Unit, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8344-7534","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cristiana","family":"Griffoni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Complex Spinal Surgery Unit, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andrea","family":"Giacovazzo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Unit, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Riccardo","family":"Rosa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Unit, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Valerio","family":"Pipola","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Complex Spinal Surgery Unit, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chiara","family":"Cini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Complex Spinal Surgery Unit, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7224-3314","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bruna","family":"Maccaferri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Complex Spinal Surgery Unit, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lisa","family":"Berti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Unit, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3547-7370","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alberto","family":"Leardini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Movement Analysis Laboratory IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alessandro","family":"Gasbarrini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Complex Spinal Surgery Unit, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2608","DOI":"10.1016\/j.spinee.2014.02.030","article-title":"En bloc resections for primary spinal tumors in 20 years of experience: Effectiveness and safety","volume":"14","author":"Amendola","year":"2014","journal-title":"Spine J."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"46","DOI":"10.1097\/BRS.0000000000004821","article-title":"The Role of En Bloc Resection in the Modern Era for Primary Spine Tumors","volume":"49","author":"Yeung","year":"2024","journal-title":"Spine"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1093\/neuonc\/noab214","article-title":"Recent advances and new discoveries in the pipeline of the treatment of primary spinal tumors and spinal metastases: A scoping review of registered clinical studies from 2000 to 2020","volume":"24","author":"Furlan","year":"2022","journal-title":"Neuro-Oncology"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bonanno, M., De Nunzio, A.M., Quartarone, A., Militi, A., Petralito, F., and Calabr\u00f2, R.S. 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