Objective To investigate the short-term clinical efficacy of Jack vertebral dilator kyphoplasty bone grafting combined with minimally invasive fixation in the treatment of thoracolumbar fracture.Methods A retrospective case series analysis was made on 34 patients with thoracolumbar fracture treated by minimally invasive transpedicular bone grafting and fixation in the injury vertebrae with Jack vertebral dilator from December 2014 to December 2015.There were 20 males and 14 females,and their age was 25-27 years (mean,46.7 years).According to the AO classification,there were 16 cases of type A1 and 18 type A3.The injured levels were at T11 in one case,at T12 in 6,at L1 in 15,at L2 in 9 and at L3 in 3.The operation time,blood loss,fluoroscopy frequency,incision length,and postoperative hospital stay duration were recorded.The visual analogue scale (VAS),Oswestry disability index (ODI),height ratio of vertebrae,Cobb angle,and complications were evaluated at follow-up.Results The operation time was (91.2 ±9.8) minutes,blood loss was (42.4 ±4.3) ml,incision length was (7.2 ± 0.4) cm,intraoperative fluoroscopy frequency were five,postoperative hospital stay was (3.9 ± 0.5) days,and follow-up time was (13.8 ± 1.7) months.All the patients showed complete healing in the injury vertebra.The VAS was (6.4 ± 0.9) points preoperatively,(4.1 ± 0.8) points,(1.2 ± 0.4) points,and (1.2 ± 0.5) points at 7 days,3 months and 12 months postoperatively.The ODI was (39.2 ± 2.3) points preoperatively,(24.5 ± 1.9) points,(13.0 ± 3.0) points,and (12.3 ± 2.0) points at 7 days,3 months and 12 months postoperatively.At postoperative 7 days,the VAS and ODI were significantly decreased compared with those preoperatively (P ＜ 0.05) and further declined at postoperative 3 months (P ＜ 0.05),while there was no significant difference between 3 months and 12 months postoperatively (P ＞ 0.05).The height ratio of vertebrae was 47.8 ± 12.2 preoperatively,83.6 ±4.9,82.5 ±4.8,and 81.7 ±4.7 at 7 days,3 months and 12 months postoperatively.The Cobb angle was respective (22.4 ± 4.7) °preoperatively,(3.6 ± 2.4) °,(4.6 ± 2.6) °,and (5.0 ± 2.8) ° at 7 days,3 months and 12 months postoperatively.At postoperative 7 days,the height ratio of vertebrae was increased and Cobb angle was decreased significantly compared to those preoperatively (P ＜ 0.05),while there was no significant difference in the indicators at 3 days,3 months and 12 months postoperatively (P ＞ 0.05).No looseness or breakage of internal fixation was found at follow-up and all patients had fracture union at the last follow-up.Conclusion Jack vertebral dilator kyphoplasty bone grafting combined with minimally invasive fixation is safe and effective for treatment of thoracolumbar fractures,as the procedure can quickly relieve the pain,improve the function disability,effectively maintain the height of the vertebral body and restore the sagittal balance of spine.

Objective:To compare the clinical efficacy of robotic-assisted and fluoroscopy-assisted minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF).Methods:A total of 27 patients with lumbar degenerative disease receiving robot-assisted MIS-TLIF (robot-assisted group) treatment in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from May 2020 to September 2021 were retrospectively analyzed, including 9 males and 18 females, aged 61.00±9.11 years (range, 41-71 years). Twenty-seven patients who received fluoroscopic-assisted MIS-TLIF (fluoroscopic-assisted group) during the same period were selected as controls, including 16 males and 11 females, aged 56.70±11.97 years (range, 32-76 years). Operation time, intraoperative bleeding, radiation exposure time, postoperative drainage, hospitalization time, visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, Oswestry disability index (ODI), accuracy of pedicle screw placement, and postoperative complications were recorded. The learning curve of the robot-assisted group was drawn based on the amount of surgery and the operation time by fitting the logarithmic curve.Results:All patients successfully completed the operation and were followed up for 15.44±3.89 months (range, 12-24 months). The operation time, drainage volume, and hospitalization time in the robot-assisted group were 181.44±36.43 min, 43.70±22.04 ml, and 5.04±1.40 d, respectively, which were smaller than 223.22±59.40 min, 74.63±71.86 ml, 6.59±3.04 d in the fluoroscopy-assisted group, and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). The radiation exposure time in robot-assisted group was 77.78±9.81 s, which was larger than fluoroscopy-assisted group (63.78±17.70 s). There were statistically significant differences in lumbar VAS scores between the two groups before and after surgery ( P<0.05), 3 days after operation and the last follow-up was smaller than those before operation. The VAS score on postoperative day 3 in the robot-assisted group was 2.52±0.98, which was less than 3.07±0.87 in the fluoroscopically-assisted group ( t=0.294, P=0.032). In both groups, 108 pedicle screws were placed, and the accuracy of nail placement in the robot-assisted group was 93.5% (101/108), which was greater than that in the fluoroscopically-assisted group 77.8% (84/108), and the difference was statistically significant (χ 2=11.821, P=0.008). By fitting a logarithmic curve to describe the relationship between the number of operations and the operation time of the robotic-assisted group of operators, the results showed that the operation time decreased with the increase of the number of operations, and the operation time fluctuated greatly in the first 10 cases, and then gradually shortened and stabilized after 10 operations. Conclusion:Robot-assisted MIS-TLIF can improve the accuracy of pedicle screw placement, improve the early postoperative pain and shorten the learning curve.

Objective:To evaluate the impact of orthopedic robotic assistance and conventional freehand methods on surgical strategies, the safety of pedicle screw placement, and clinical efficacy in patients with upper cervical spine diseases.Methods:From January 2017 to March 2023, a total of 63 cases with upper cervical spine disease, were divided into two groups based on the screw placement technique: the robot-assisted pedicle screw placement (RA) group (41 cases) and the conventional freehand pedicle screw placement (CF) group (22 cases), were retrospectively included. These patients in the RA and CF groups underwent two types of posterior cervical surgery, including occipitocervical fusion (9 cases and 8 cases) and fixation and fusion of atlantoaxial and distal vertebrae (32 cases and 14 cases). The outcome parameters, including the disease course, surgical time, intraoperative blood loss, fluoroscopy frequency, radiation dose, hospital stay, treatment costs, complications, the rate of the pedicle screw placement, accuracy of upper cervical pedicle screw placement, and the risk factors that possibly affected the accuracy were recorded and analyzed. Postoperative follow-up was conducted for at least 6 months, and the efficacy of patients was assessed using imaging parameters, ASIS classification, VAS, and JOA scores.Results:Both groups had no screw-related complications and no spinal cord or vertebral artery injuries. In the RA group, the pedicle screw placement rates for the patients with occipitocervical fusion, and fixation and fusion of atlantoaxial and distal vertebrae were 100% (48/48) and 89.6% (138/154), respectively, far exceeding the placement rate in the CF group 42.9% (18/42) and 78.3% (54/69) (χ 2=37.403, P<0.001; χ 2=5.128, P=0.024). The fluoroscopic exposure dose and operation time of the two types of surgical patients in the RA group were both higher than those in the CF group ( P<0.05). Compared with the CF group, the accuracy of C 1 screws in the RA group increased from 42% (11/26) to 80% (51/64), with statistical significance (χ 2=13.342, P=0.004); while the accuracy of C 2 screws improved from 77% (33/43) to 88% (63/72) with no statistical difference (χ 2=2.863, P=0.413). Non-parametric correlation analysis found a significant correlation between the accuracy of C 1 and C 2 pedicle screw placement and the order of guide wire insertion in the RA group ( r=0.580, P<0.001; r=0.369, P=0.001). Postoperatively, both groups showed significant differences in cervicomedullary angle (CMA), Chamberlain angle (CL), McGregor angle, Boogard angle, Bull angle, clivus-canal angle (CCA), occipitocervical (C 0-C 2) angle, posterior occipitocervical angle (POCA), C 2-C 7 angle, and anterior atlantodental interval (ADI) ( P<0.05). The ASIA classification improved to varying degrees for both groups postoperatively, but there were no statistically significant differences between preoperative, postoperative, and last follow-up evaluations. VAS and JOA scores significantly improved for both groups postoperatively and at the last follow-up ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Both orthopedic robotic-assisted and conventional freehand pedicle screw placement techniques achieved satisfactory therapeutic effects in the treatment of upper cervical spine diseases. The orthopedic robot can effectively ensure the accuracy of upper cervical pedicle screw placement, the increase placement rate of pedicle screws in the upper cervical spine, and reduce fluoroscopy exposure. However, it is necessary to avoid the vertebral displacement caused by the priority insertion of the guide needle, which may affect the accuracy of subsequent planning.

Osteoporotic thoracolumbar fracture in the elderly will seriously reduce their quality of life and life expectancy. For osteoporotic thoracolumbar fracture in the elderly, spinal reconstruction is necessary, which should comprehensively consider factors such as the physical condition, fracture type, clinical characteristics and osteoporosis degree. While there lacks relevant clinical norms or guidelines on selection of spinal reconstruction strategies. In order to standardize the concept of spinal reconstruction for osteoporotic thoracolumbar fracture in the elderly, based on the principles of scientificity, practicality and progressiveness, the authors formulated the Clinical guideline for spinal reconstruction of osteoporotic thoracolumbar fracture in elderly patients ( version 2022), in which suggestions based on evidence of evidence-based medicine were put forward upon 10 important issues related to the fracture classification, non-operative treatment strategies and surgical treatment strategies in spinal reconstruction after osteoporosis thoracolumbar fracture in the elderly, hoping to provide a reference for clinical treatment.

The incidence of osteoporotic thoracolumbar vertebral fracture (OTLVF) in the elderly is gradually increasing. The kyphotic deformity caused by various factors has become an important characteristic of OTLVF and has received increasing attention. Its clinical manifestations include pain, delayed nerve damage, sagittal imbalance, etc. Currently, the definition and diagnosis of OTLVF with kyphotic deformity in the elderly are still unclear. Although there are many treatment options, they are controversial. Existing guidelines or consensuses pay little attention to this type of fracture with kyphotic deformity. To this end, the Lumbar Education Working Group of the Spine Branch of the Chinese Medicine Education Association and Editorial Committee of Chinese Journal of Trauma organized the experts in the relevant fields to jointly develop Clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporotic thoracolumbar vertebral fractures with kyphotic deformity in the elderly ( version 2024), based on evidence-based medical advancements and the principles of scientificity, practicality, and advanced nature, which provided 18 recommendations to standardize the clinical diagnosis and treatment.

ObjectiveTo explore the effect of Yishen Tongluo prescription on sperm DNA fragmentation index （DFI） and sperm mitochondrial membrane potential （MMP） in patients with asymptomatic idiopathic asthenospermia infertility. MethodsA total of 128 patients with asymptomatic idiopathic asthenospermia were randomly assigned to an experimental group （64 cases） and a control group （64 cases）. The experimental group received Yishen Tongluo prescription， while the control group was treated with Wuzi Yanzongwan combined with L-carnitine oral solution. One treatment course lasted 12 weeks. Spouse pregnancy rate， sperm progressive motility （PR）， total sperm motility （PR+NP）， sperm function （sperm tail hypotonic swelling rate， sperm acrosin activity）， sperm DFI， and sperm MMP were compared between the two groups before and after treatment. Adverse reactions were observed and recorded during the study， and clinical efficacy and safety were systematically evaluated. ResultsA total of 121 patients completed the study， including 61 in the experimental group and 60 in the control group. The spouse pregnancy rate in the experimental group was 14.75% （9/61）， higher than that in the control group at 6.67% （4/60）， though the difference was not statistically significant. Clinical efficacy in the experimental group was superior to that in the control group （P<0.05）. Compared with the results before treatment， sperm PR， PR + NP， sperm tail hypotonic swelling rate， sperm acrosin activity， sperm DFI， and sperm MMP were significantly improved in both groups after treatment （P<0.05）， with greater improvements in the experimental group （P<0.05）. However， there was no significant change in sperm concentration in either group after treatment. During the study， no abnormal safety indicators or significant adverse reactions occurred in either group. ConclusionThe kidney-tonifying and collateral-dredging method shows good clinical efficacy in the treatment of asymptomatic idiopathic asthenospermia infertility. Yishen Tongluo prescription can improve sperm motility， increase spouse pregnancy rate， enhance sperm function， and demonstrates good safety. Its mechanism may be related to reducing sperm DFI and increasing sperm MMP.