BACKGROUND Short-segment U-shaped pedicle screw fixation has been widely used to treat thoracolumbar burst fracture. Some studies have reported the disadvantages of traditional U-shaped pedicle screw, which included a relatively high rate of adjacent segment degeneration and screw failure, including screw pullout and breakage. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of open reducti...

A previously healthy 46-year-old male presented to the emergency department with the sole complaint of lower back pain after being struck by a car while walking. Physical examination revealed the patient to be hemodynamicaly stable and in moderate distress secondary to back pain. Maintaining spinal precautions, the patient was log-rolled and found to have midline lumbar spine tenderness with a ...

PURPOSE To assess the correlation between the presence of lamina fractures, narrowing of the spinal canal, and the severity of injury. METHODS Records of 146 men and 44 women aged 13 to 84 (mean, 39) years diagnosed with burst fractures of the thoracolumbar spine were retrospectively reviewed. The laminar fractures and narrowing of the spinal canal were measured using computed tomography. The...

BACKGROUND The "gold standard" for instrumentation of unstable thoracolumbar fracture-dislocations is pedicle screw and rod fixation. Although traditional treatment supports long-segment posterior fixation (LSPF), more recent studies show short-segment posterior fixation (SSPF) may be effective, but incur higher failure rates. Here, we evaluated the effectiveness of SSPF in the management of un...

Background: Unstable thoracolumbar burst fractures are treated surgically by short segment fi xation but may be associated with high implant failure. Supplementation of anterior column by insertion of screw at fracture site makes it more biomechanically stable. Objectives: The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate radiological parameters in thoracolumbar fractures treated with inter...

Recombinant human bone morphogenetic proteins (rhBMPs) have past a long journey in human orthopaedic surgery during the last 15 years. From the first reports of the use of rhBMPs in hostile environments such as critically-sized bone defects, avascular femoral head necrosis, unstable thoracolumbar vertebral fractures, instability between the atlas and axis due to rheumatoid arthritis; over the u...

PURPOSE The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of posterior indirect reduction and pedicle screw fixation without laminectomy for the treatment of Denis type B thoracolumbar burst fractures with incomplete neurologic deficit. METHODS From March 2008 to May 2012, 36 consecutive patients of Denis type B thoracolumbar burst with incomplete neurologic deficit were enrolled. All of the ...

OBJECTIVE We compared the radiological and clinical outcomes between patients who underwent posterior fixation alone and supplemented with fusion following the onset of thoracolumbar burst fractures. In addition, we also evaluated the necessity of posterolateral fusion for patients treated with posterior pedicle screw fixation. METHODS From January 2007 to December 2009, 46 consecutive patien...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of bone cement-augmented short segment fixation using percutaneous screws for thoracolumbar burst fractures in a background of severe osteoporosis. METHODS Sixteen patients with a single-level thoracolumbar burst fracture (T11-L2) accompanying severe osteoporosis treated from January 2008 to November 2009 were prospectively ana...