Comparative study of minimally invasive percutaneous pedicle screw fixation and open surgery in the treatment of thoracolumbar fractures

Abstract

To compare the clinical outcomes of minimally invasive percutaneous pedicle screw fixation and open surgery in the treatment of thoracolumbar fracture. A retrospective study of patients who had undergone surgery for thoracolumbar fracture from June 2014 to December 2014 was performed. Sixty-one cases were included and 29 cases were treated by minimally invasive percutaneous pedicle screw fixation (minimally invasive group) and 32 cases were treated by the traditional open pedicle screw fixation(open group). The differences in the total length of the incision, intraoperative fluoroscopy times, operative time, blood loss, the preoperative and postoperative visual analogue scale(VAS), postoperative bedridden time and hospital stay were compared. And the preoperative and postoperative anterior vertebral body height and Cobb angle of the kyphosis were also compared. Compared with the open group, the total length of incision was smaller and intraoperative blood loss was less, bedridden time and hospital stay were shorter, and pain of the wound was less in the minimally invasive group. Postoperatively, the anterior vertebral body height was retorted and the Cobb angle of the kyphosis was corrected obviously in both groups. But no significant difference in the imaging results was found between two groups(P>0.05). Minimally invasive percutaneous pedicle screw fixation has the similar fixation efficacy with open surgery in treating thoracolumbar fracture. However, it can avoid extensive muscle stripping, and obviously reduce the surgical incision, operative time, postoperative pain, bedridden time and hospital stay. According to the clinical efficacy, it is worthy of clinical application.