Gaines, Robert W. Result of surgical treatment of upper thoracic spine fractures above T9 by posterior spinal instrumentation and fusion using pedicle screws. (). Chulalongkorn University. : , 2002.
Result of surgical treatment of upper thoracic spine fractures above T9 by posterior spinal instrumentation and fusion using pedicle screws
Abstract:
Objective: To report the results of surgical treatment of fractures and fracture-dislocations of upper thoracic spine by posterior instrumentation and fusion using pedicle screw-based instrumentation.Background: Fractures of thoracic spine above T9 are rare, but once occurs, it is often severe. Frequently, they damage the great vessels anterior to the spinal column; and spinal cord injury is a commonly associated condition. There are relatively few pieces of literature that specifically review the surgical treatment of these injuries.Methods : A retrospective study of medical records, operative notes and radiographs of a series of 13 patients who had thoracic spine fractures and/or fracture-dislocations at T9 or above and were treated by surgery, using pedicle screwed-based instrumentation, between January 1995 and May 2000, at the Missouri Health Science Center, University of Missouri-Columbia, Missouri, USA. Results of the treatment were reviewed and analyzed.Results: There were 8 males and 5 females with their average age of 30.9 years (14-78). The majority (10/13) were neurologically intact, while 2 had complete spinal cord injuries and 1 had a severe brain injury with incomplete spinal cord injury. There were 6 fracture-dislocations, 4 burst fractures, 2 compression fractures and 1 flexion-distraction injury. The average operative time was 3.5 hours (2- 6 and the average estimated blood loss was 604 ml (200-1000). The period of follow-up ranged from 2 weeks to 50 months (average 9.2 months). The preoperative Load-sharing classification fracture score was 6.5 points (3-9). The preoperative, immediate postoperative and the latest follow-up radiographic kyphosis measured by Sagittal Index (SI) were: 20.6 (2-50), 14.2 (0-27) and 15.0 (3-32) degrees, respectively. No patients had iatrogenic nerve root or spinal cord injuries; and there were neither hardware related complications nor postoperative infection. All patients who were followed-up more than 6 months achieved solid fusion on their radiographs and none of them reported a back pain that required narcotic medication. Conclusions: The pedicle screw-based, constructed with 6.25 mm diameter rod, provided strong and stiff internal fixation for posterior spinal instrumentation for this series of high thoracic injuries. It allowed short fusions, good correction to normal alignment and retention of the correction without implant problems. Although pedicle screw based implants are not the only available implant of choice to be used, they should be an available option in the surgeon's armamentorium for posterior spinal instrumentation.