Objective To compare the advantages and disadvantages of three different fixation methods via muscle-splitting approach for the treatment of single segmental lumbar vertebral diseases.Methods All of 90 patients with the single segmental lumbar vertebral diseases were treated from June 2012 to June 2013,including 34 males and 56 females,at the age of 27-76 years old,averagely (53.37± 15.41) years.Twenty-seven patients were treated with unilateral pedicle screws via unilateral muscle-splitting approach (unilateral fixation group).Thirty-three patients were treated with unilateral pedicle screws and contralateral translaminar facet screw via unilateral muscle-splitting approach (combined fixation group).Thirty patients were treated with unilateral pedicle screws via bilateral muscle-splitting approach (bilateral fixation group).Observe and compare the imaging and clinical results of these three groups.Results There were no significant difference in incision length and postoperative wound drainage between these three groups.The operation time was shortest in unilateral fixation group,while longest in bilateral fixation group.In the intraoperative blood loss,the unilateral fixation group was the same as the combined fixation group,while less than the bilateral fixation group.No infection was found after operations.Seven patients experienced epidermal necrosis of the incision,including 1 patient of unilateral fixation group,4 patients of combined fixation group and 2 patients of bilateral fixation group.Three patients suffered from nerve injury,including 2 patients of combined fixation group and 1 patients of bilateral fixation group.The follow-up time was from 12 to 36 months,averagely 25.5 months.The intervertebral height of lesion segments was apparently recovered after surgery,and maintained during the follow-up in these three groups.No significant changes of area and grade of multifidus muscle were detected at 1 year after surgery compared with preoperative.Seven patients experienced endplate cutting and cage partially embedded into vertebral body,including 3 patients of unilateral fixation group,3 patients of combined fixation group and 1 patient of bilateral fixation group.There was no loosening,displacement,breakage or cage shifting.Except 5 patients (2 patients of unilateral fixation group,2 patients of combined fixation group and 1 patient of bilateral fixation group),the remaining cases had well interbody fusion.At the final follow-up time,the JOA score significantly increased compared with preoperative.Besides,unilateral fixation group and combined fixation group were superior to bilateral fixation group.Conclusion Three different fixation methods via muscle-splitting approach for the treatment of single segmental lumbar vertebral diseases had well clinical results.The unilateral fixation and combined fixation via muscle-splitting approach had more advantages.The combined fixation via muscle-splitting approach is an innovation in approach,exposure and fixation aspects.

Objective To explore the feasibility and effectiveness of channel-assisted spatium intermusculare approach interbody fusion for treating lumbar vertebra diseases.Methods A total of 81 patients with lumbar vertebra diseases were treated from June 2012 to December 2013,including 35 males and 46 females between 29 and 76 years old with an average age of 54.6.There were 36 cases of lumbar disc degeneration,10 cases of recurrence in situ after lumbar disc herniation surgery,6 cases of huge lumbar disc herniation,11 cases of lumbar disc herniation with spinal canal stenosis,5 cases of extreme lateral lumbar disc herniation and 13 cases of lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis.There were 67 cases of single segment lesion and 14 cases of two segment lesions.Lesion sites contained L1,2 in 1 case,L3,4 in 4 cases,L4,5 in 50 cases,L5S1 in 12 cases,L3,4 and L4,5 in 8 cases,and L4,5 and L5S1 in 6 cases.Results The length of incision was 2.42±0.45 cm in cases of single segment lesion and 4.28±0.38 cm in cases of two segment lesions.The operation time was 96.00±21.53 minutes and intraoperative blood loss was 347.50± 241.62 ml.During the operation,one case suffered from dural laceration,cerebrospinal fluid leakage and ipsilateral nerve root injury.Two cases suffered from pedicle fractures.Eight cases experienced epidermal necrosis of the incision.One case had poor wound healing.Three cases suffered from nerve injury.A total of 76 patients were followed up for 12-30 months,averagely 20.5 months.Intervertebral height of lesion segments was apparently recovered after surgery,and maintained in good condition during the final follow-up.No significant difference in the changes of area and grade of multifidus was detected 12 months after surgery and before surgery.Except 4 cases,the remaining had interbody fusion with a fusion rate of 94.7％.The balance between the coronal plane and sagittal plane of the lumbar spine was evidently improved.Average Japanese Orthopaedic Association score increased from 12.66±1.88 points preoperatively to 26.4±1.92 points during the final follow-up,which showed significant differences.Conclusion The method of channel-assisted spatium intermusculare approach interbody fusion has some advantages for treating lumbar vertebra such as small incision,fewer traumas,less bleeding,fast recovery,and high fusion rate.However,there is a long time of operation in the early stage and high occurrence rate of complications.

Objective To analyze the clinical effect of minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MI-TLIF) in combination with unilateral pedicle fixation on lumbar degenerative diseases in the elderly.Methods From June 2011 and June 2013,51 elderly patients with lumbar degenerative diseases who underwent MI-TLIF in combination with unilateral pedicle fixation,including 39 males and 12 females,aged from 60 to 72 years (average 65 years old),were included in this study.All the 51 cases had mono segmental lesion,including 11 cases with the lesion in L3.4,22 cases with the lesion in L4.5,and 18 cases with the lesion in L5-S1.The operation time,blood loss,postoperative drainage and complications were recorded.Postoperative outpatient follow-ups were conducted once every 2-3 months for all cases,and JOA scoring criteria (29 points) of lower back pain were adopted to evaluate the clinical effects.Thin-layer helical CT scanning reconstruction was applied to evaluate the fusion rate of bone grafting.X-ray film of lumbar vertebra AP & LAT was employed to evaluate the intervertebral space height,the internal fixation and the position of cage.Results The operation time ranged between 50-90 min with a mean value of 65 min; blood loss ranged between 80-180 ml (average 110 ml); and postoperative drainage volume ranged between 20-70 ml (average 40 ml).Healing phase I was achieved in 49 cases,while post-operative local cutaneous necrosis around the incision site occurred in 2 case and the wound healed well after wound dressing.Dural laceration without nerve root injury occurred in 2 cases.The follow up in 51 patients ranged between 18 24 months (average 20 months).In terms of JOA scoring,the preoperative score was (9.7± 1.6),the post operative score was (21.4 ± 1.4) 7 d after operation and the score was (25.4 ± 1.2) in the final follow up.During the final follow-up,35 cases were evaluated as excellent,11 cases as good and 5 cases as moderate,the excellent and good rate was 90.2％,and the fusion rate of bone grafting was 88.2％.The intervertebral space height ranged from (9.2±1.5) mm before operation to (11.2±1.3) rnm 7 d after operation,to (11.0±1.2) mm in the final follow-up.There were significant difference in intervertebral space height before and after operation (both P＜0.05),and no difference was found between 7d after operation and the final follow-up (P＞0.05).Looseness,fracture or cage displacement were not observed.Conclusions The clinical effect of MI-TLIF in combination with unilateral pedicle fixation on lumbar degenerative diseases in the elderly is satisfied.It has the advantages of high fusion rate,less trauma,quicker recoverer,higher cost effectiveness and convenience.However,the indications for operation should be restricted and the long-term curative effect remains to be studied in further clinical studies.

Objective To investigate the efficacy of modified 270°spinal canal decompression combined with one-stage pedicle screw fixation and vertebral reconstruction for severe thoracolumbar fractures.Methods A retrospective case-control study was made on 44 cases of severe thoracolumbar fractures treated from January 2009 to June 2014.There were 34 males and 10 females, with age range of 20-68 years (mean, 37.9 years).The injured vertebrae included T11/12 in one case, T12-L1 in 10, L1/2 in 21, L2/3 in nine and L3/4 in three.Injury type was all AO type B2.According to the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA), neurological deficit was Grade A in three cases, Grade B in five, Grade C in 22, and Grade D in 14.Load sharing score (LSC) was 7-9 points (mean, 8.1 points), while the thoracolumbar injury classification and severity score (TLICS) was 7-9 points (mean, 8.2 points).According to the difference of surgical procedures, all cases were divided into traditional group (21 cases) and improved group (23 cases).The patients in traditional group were treated by 270° spinal canal decompression combined with one-stage pedicle screw fixation and vertebral reconstruction, and those in improved group were treated by modified 270°spinal canal decompression combined with one-stage pedicle screw fixation and vertebral reconstruction.Between-group differences were compared with regard to operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage, allogeneic blood transfusion, pain visual analogue scale (VAS) at postoperative 72 hours, Cobb angle, anterior vertebral height, spinal canal compromise, Denis score, work state, neurological function, bone graft fusion and complications.Results Duration of follow-up was (32.4±15.8)months (range, 12-60 months).No wound infection or deterioration of neurological function was found after operation.Operation time was (2.4±0.5)hours in traditional group, less than (2.8±0.6)hours in improved group (P<0.05), while there were no significant differences in intraoperative bleeding, postoperative draining and blood transfusion between the two groups (P>0.05).VAS was (3.2±0.9)points in traditional group and (3.3±0.9)points in improved group at postoperative 72 hours (P>0.05).Cobb angle, anterior vertebral height and spinal canal compromise in both groups obtained well recovery and maintained after operation (P<0.05), but the recovery of spinal canal compromise was better in improved group than traditional group [(2.1±1.8)% vs.(11.8±6.1)%] (P<0.05).Denis score and work state were similar between the two groups (P>0.05).At the last follow-up, ASIA Grade A was noted in three cases, Grade C in two, Grade D in 23, and Grade E in 16.Bone union was achieved in all cases, with no implant loosening or breakage observed.Thirteen cases in traditional group were found with residual bone fragments in the spinal canal after surgery, and two of them received revision surgery.Conclusions Either modified or traditional 270° spinal canal decompression combined with one-stage pedicle screw fixation and vertebral reconstruction can attain satisfactory clinical results in treatment of severe thoracolumbar fractures.However, the modified 270°spinal canal decompression can achieve more thorough decompression without reducing stability of the spine.

ObjectiveTo compare the clinical results of pedicle screw fixation via the injured vertebra versus across the injured vertebra for thoracolumbar spine fracture.MethodsThe study reviewed 56 patients (41 males and 15 females,at age range of 21-66 years,mean 41.5 years) with thoracolumbar spine fractures managed with the two fixation methods from June 2005 to December 2008.The fracture segment included T12 in 13 patients,L1 in 27 and L2 in 16.According to the AO classification,there were six patients with type A1.2,29 with type A3.1,nine with type A3.2 and 12 with type A3.3.McCormack load score was 5-8 points (average 6.3 points). The spinal cord injury was classified as grade A in three patients,grade B in four,grade C in eight,grade D in 17 and grade E in 24 according to Frankel scale.The patients were divided into two groups,ie,across vertebral fixation group (27 patients) and via the vertebral fixation group (29 patients).All patients were selectively treated with monosegment bone graft simultaneously.The Cobb' s angle,restoration of the anterior height of the injured vertebra,improvement of spinal canal stenosis rate and Denis scale in local pain and work status were compared between the two groups.The bone graft fusion and spinal cord recovery of both groups were observed during follow-up.ResultsAll patients were followed up for 12-48 months (average 25.8 months).Implantation loosening occurred in one patient 1.5 month after operation in across vertebral fixation group.There were no significant differences in aspects of correction of Cobb' s angle,restoration of the anteriorheight of injured vertebra and improvement of spinal canal stenosis rate postoperatively as well as in aspects of restoration of anterior height of injured vertebra and improvement of spinal canal stenosis rate at the latest follow-up between the two groups ( P ＞ 0.05).The postoperative loss of correction rate of Cobb's angle of both groups existed,with significant difference (P ＜0.05). The differences of the Cobb's angle at the latest follow-up and after operation were significant in the across vertebral fixation group ( P ＜ 0.05) but insignificant in the via vertebral fixation group (P ＞ 0.05 ).Bone graft fusion occurred in 21 patients (78％) in the across vertebral fixation group and in 27 patients (93％) in the via vertebral fixation group ( P ＜ 0.05 ).Denis scale indicated a better recovery in the local pain of via vertebral fixation group compared with the across vertebral fixation group ( P ＜ 0.05 ),but showed no significant differenc e in work status between the two groups ( P ＞ 0.05 ).ConclusionsCompared with across vertebral fixation,the pedicle screw fixation via the vertebra has the advantages of higher fusion rate and better correction rate of Cobb' s angle and is a better choice for thoracolumbar spine fracture with posterior approach.

ObjectiveTo investigate safety and efficacy of one-stage pedicle screw fixation plus 360° spinal canal decompression and reconstruction in treatment of severe thoracolumbar burst fractures.MethodsThe study reviewed 11 patients (8 males and 3 females, at age range of 19-59 years, mean 34.4 years) with severe thoracolumbar burst fracture, who underwent one-stage posterior pedicle screw fixation, 360° spinal canal decompression and reconstruction. The injury location was at T12 in one patient, at L1 in three, at L2 in two, at L3 in three and at L4 in two. According to AO classification, all patients were with type A 3.3 fractures. McCormack load score was 7-9 points ( average 8.2 points). Based on the Frankel' s scale, the spinal cord function was classified as grade A in one patient, grade B in one,grade C in five and grade D in four. ResultsAll the operations accomplished successfully, with operation duration for 3.5-4.5 hours ( mean 4.1 hours) , blood loss for 900-2 800 ml ( mean 1 750 ml) and allogeneic blood transfusion for 400-1 200 ml ( average 760 ml). There was no complication either during or after operation. The loss rate of the anterior vertebrae column height was 48％ -85％ ( average 64.2％ )before operation and recovered to 95％ -100％ (average 98.6％ ) of the normal. The kyphotic Cobb angle was at -12°-35 ° ( average 12.1 ° ) before operation and recovered to - 30°-7 ° ( average - 8.1 ° ) after operation. The spinal canal stenosis rate was improved remarkably. The patients were followed up for 10-18 months (average 14. 5 months), which showed solid bone fusion, with no implant failure. The spinal cord function was improved Ⅰ to Ⅲ degrees in all patients except for one patient at grade A. One patient had mild lower back pain.ConclusionsOne-stage pedicle screw fixation plus 360° spinal canal decompression and reconstruction is a good alternative for severe thoracolumbar burst fracture, but it is essential for choosing strictly the surgical indications.

There are many vague understandings or misunderstandings in diagnosis, treatment concept and treatment methods of osteoporotic thoracolumbar fractures. For the treatment of osteoporotic thoracolumbar fractures, the first step is to grasp the core pathological basis and conduct necessary examinations. The choice of treatment should be made individually based on the injury severity, age, bone conditions, injury locations, injury types and combined injuries, so as to ensure surgery safety and reduce complications. Meanwhile, the postoperative function improvement of patients'also needs to be cared. The author analyzes the common misunderstandings in diagnosis and treatment of osteoporotic thoracolumbar fractures and proposes improvements to provide reference for clinical treatment.

Objective To investigate the feasibility and efficiency of unilateral pedicle screw combined with contralateral translaminar facet screw fixation by percutaneous and interbody fusion to treat low lumbar vertebra diseases. Methods Thirty patients with low lumbar vertebra diseases were entered into the study, including 8 males and 22 females with an average age of 53.7 years. All patients underwent discectomy, spinal canal decompression, cage implantation and lumbar fixation by unilateral pedicle screw combined with contralateral translaminar facet screw under gunsight guiding by percutaneous. Clinical outcomes were assed by JOA questionnaires before and after operation. Operative time, blood loss, and postoperative draiming were recorded. Radiological examination was obtained to assess position of translaminar facet screw.Results Mean operation time was 89 min with a blood loss of 285 ml. Position of translaminar facet screw grade Ⅰ were 24 cases, and grade 11 were 6. Mean follow-up was 22.5 months. 29 cases got bony fusion, and the fusion rate was 96.7%. There were no instability and evidence instrument failure during follow-up. The JOA grades improved from 13.0 preoperation to 25.2 at final follow-up, with the excellent and good rate of 72.5 %. Conclusion Unilateral pedicle screw combined with contralateral translaminar facet screw fixation by percutaneous and interbody fusion provide simple procedure, little trauma, forceful fixation, high fusion rate, and less complication, etc. Therefore, the surgical maneuver is a good choice for partial low lumbar vertebra diseases.

Objective To investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of bilateral pedicle screw fixation combined with in-terbody fusion for the treatment of lumbar spondylolisthesis (degree Ⅱ or Ⅲ) through muscle-splitting approach. Methods There were 52 patients (16 males and 36 females) analyzed in our study from January 2012 to December 2015. The average age was 54.9 ± 7.21 years (from 35 to 70 years). The history of disease was from 10 months to 15 years, with an average of 66.6 ± 32.71 months. Diagnosis included:degenerative spondylolisthesis in 2 cases, and isthmic spondylolysis in 50 cases. The sites included L4,5 in 18 cases and L5S1 in 34 cases. The degree was Ⅱ in 35 cases and Ⅲ in 17 cases. 27 cases were treated by bilateral pedicle screw fixation combined with interbody fusion through median incision approach (open group) and 25 cases through muscle-split-ting approach (minimally invasive group). The clinical and imaging results were observed and compared between the two groups, including operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative incision drainage, VAS score of lumbar incision pain at 72h post-operative, intraoperative and postoperative complications, interbody fusion rate, multifidus muscle areas and grades at 1 year post-operative, and the improvement of ODI index. Results All the cases were operated successfully. The operation time of open group was shorter than minimally invasive group. However, the intraoperative blood loss and postoperative incision drainage of minimally invasive group was statistically less than open group. The VAS scores of postoperative 72 h were 3.25 (2 to 6) in open group and 1.62 (1 to 3) in minimally invasive group. And the difference was statistically significant. The misplacement rate of pedi-cle screws of minimally invasive group was lower than open group. The average follow-up time was 25.5 months (ranged from 12 to 36 months). The multifidus muscle areas and grades of minimally invasive group were superior to open group at 1 year postopera-tively. Compared to preoperative, the slipping angle, slipping rate, sacral inclination angle and vertebral space height were signifi-cant improved after operation in two groups. The ODI index was improved postoperatively in both two groups, and the difference was statistically significant at the final follow-up. The interbody fusion rate was 92.6％in open group and 96％in minimally inva-sive group, and there was no significant difference between the two groups. No cerebrospinal fluid leak, never injury, pedicle frac-ture or wound infection was found after the operation in two groups. There was no pedicle screw loosening, cage shifting, or degen-eration of the adjacent segment observed during follow-up. Conclusion Bilateral pedicle screw fixation combined with inter-body fusion through muscle-splitting approach has advantages of small incision, less trauma, less bleeding, quick recovery and well clinical results, which can be a better choice in treating lumbar spondylolisthesis (degree Ⅱ or Ⅲ).

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness and radiographic outcomes of percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP)/percutaneous vertebroplasty (PKP) in the treatment of stage Ⅲ Kümmell's disease without nerve injury.Methods From September 2012 to September 2016,there were 28 patients with stage Ⅲ Kümmell's disease recruited to study,of which 16 patients were treated with PKP and the other 12 cases with PVP.with a mean age of 78,ranging from 67 to 95,consisted of 3 males and 29 females.All patients had single vertebral body lesions without symptom of spinal cord injury.Visual analogue scores (VAS) and oswestry dysfunction index (ODI) were recorded before surgery,on the 7 d after surgery and at the last follow-up.Meanwhile,Cobb angles,anterior and posterior heights of the injured vertebral body were measured by X-ray lateral radiography at these three time points.Furthermore,the condition of bone cement in the injured vertebral body was observed with the postoperative CT examination.Results All patients completed the operation safely.Twenty-eight patients were followed up for an average of 18 months (ranging from 12 to 36 months),and 4 patients who failed to be followed up were not included in the statistic analysis.There was no vessel or nerve injury in the operation.Thirteen out of 28 individuals who suffered from bone cement leakage showed no clinical symptom,and recovered walking ability between 12 and 24h after operation.Other types of vertebral body fractures due to compression occurred in 3 cases between 6 and 12 months after surgery,and the symptoms were relieved after another PKP.The rates of improvement at the last follow-up in VAS and ODI were 71.4％ (20/28) and 67.9％ (19/28),respectively.There was statistical difference in VAS between before surgery and 7d after surgery (t=16.68,P＜0.01).However,no statistical difference was found in the comparison of VAS between the last follow-up and 7d after surgery (t=0.598,P ＞ 0.05).The difference of ODI between before surgery and 7d after surgery (t=36.830,P＜0.01) and that of ODI between the last follow-up and 7d after surgery (t=7.375,P＜0.01) showed statistical significance.There were statistical differences in both Cobb angle and anterior heights of the diseased vertebral body between before surgery and 7d after surgery (t=2.52,2.29,both P＜0.05).Besides,significant differences were also observed in them between the last follow-up and 7d after surgery (t=2.58,2.24,both P＜0.05).However,there was no statistical difference of the posterior height of the diseased vertebral body before surgery,7d after surgery and at the last follow-up (t=0.935,0.795,P＞0.05).Conclusions PKP/PVP may relieve the clinical symptoms safely and effectively of stage Ⅲ Kümmell's disease without nerve injury,and may correct heights of kyphosis and vertebral.Nevertheless,it may lead to loss of correction and high rate of bone cement leakage.Further observation is needed for the long-term effectiveness.