Beneficial effects of percutaneous minimally invasive surgery for patients with fractures in the thoracic spine

A comparative study on efficacies of posterior microscopic mini-open and open technique for thoracolumbar burst fractures with severe traumatic spinal stenosis

PURPOSE

This study compares the efficacies of minimally invasive decompression by posterior microscopic mini-open technique combined with percutaneous pedicle fixation (hereafter MOT) to traditional open surgery in patients with severe traumatic spinal canal stenosis resulting from Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen (AO) type A3 or A4 thoracolumbar burst fractures and provides references for clinical treatment.

METHODS

In total, 133 patients with severe traumatic spinal canal stenosis caused by AO type A3 or A4 thoracolumbar burst fractures who underwent MOT (group A) or traditional open surgery (group B) were retrospectively enrolled. The demographic and radiological data of the two groups were analyzed and compared.

RESULTS

A total of 64 patients were finally recruited in this study. There were no significant differences in gender, age, follow-up time, injury mechanism, injury level, AO classification, American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) score, visual analogue scale (VAS) score, and duration of hospital stay between the two groups (P > 0.05). After the procedures, the prevertebral height ratio (PHR), the Cobb angle, and the mid-sagittal canal diameter compression ratio (MSDCR) were significantly improved (P < 0.05) in both groups. However, group A demonstrated less intraoperative bleeding and a greater VAS score improvement postoperatively and at the last follow-up but involved a longer operation time (P < 0.05). The PHR and the Cobb angle in the two groups showed no significant difference postoperatively and at the last follow-up (P > 0.05). In contrast, a significant improvement in MSDCR was observed at the last follow-up when compared with the postoperative value (P < 0.05). However, the Cobb angle in group A was better maintained than in group B at the last follow-up (P < 0.05), while the MSDCR in group B demonstrated a greater improvement at the last follow-up than in group A (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Both the MOT and traditional open surgery are effective treatment options for AO type A3 and A4 thoracolumbar burst fractures with severe traumatic spinal stenosis. The advantages of MOT include the minimally invasive procedure, extremely fine spinal canal decompression, less intraoperative bleeding, and significant pain relief. We suggest that MOT should be preferentially performed for AO type A3 or A4 thoracolumbar burst fractures with severe traumatic spinal stenosis.

Biomechanics and clinical outcome after posterior stabilization of mid-thoracic vertebral body fractures: a systematic literature review

Purpose

The aim of this review is to systematically screen the literature for clinical and biomechanical studies dealing with posterior stabilization of acute traumatic mid-thoracic vertebral fractures in patients with normal bone quality.

Methods

This review is based on articles retrieved by a systematic search in the PubMed and Web of Science database for publications up to December 2018 dealing with the posterior stabilization of fractures of the mid-thoracic spine.

Results

Altogether, 1012 articles were retrieved from the literature search. A total of 960 articles were excluded. A total of 16 articles were dealing with the timing of surgery in polytraumatized patients, patients suffering of neurologic deficits after midthoracic fractures, and the impact of concomitant thoracic injuries and were excluded. Thus, 36 remaining original articles were included in this systematic review depicting the topics biomechanics, screw insertion, and outcome after posterior stabilization. The overall level of evidence of the vast majority of studies is low.

Conclusion

High quality studies are lacking. Long-segmental stabilization is indicated in unstable midthoracic fractures with concomitant sternal fractures. Generally, long-segmental constructs seem to be the safer treatment strategy considering the relative high penetration rate of pedicle screws in this region. Thereby, navigated insertion techniques and intraoperative 3D-imaging help to improve pedicle screw placement accuracy.