Spinal tuberculosis is one of the common causes of severe kyphosis. The formation of spinal tuberculosis kyphosis is multi-factors, including age at the time of infection, the cumulative number of segments, the height of vertebral body loss before treatment, and "spine danger signs" . Although the use of anti-tuberculosis drugs has achieved good results, for patients with spinal tuberculosis cured by drug treatment, the kyphosis will continue to progress and gradually develop into a severe kyphosis. Then there are a series of problems such as appearance, psychology, rib-pelvic impingement, cardiopulmonary dysfunction, and nerve and spinal cord compression. The X-ray signs of the height of the vertebral body loss and "spine danger signs" before treatment can help predict the severity of future deformities. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the formation of kyphosis of spinal tuberculosis and individualized selection of surgical methods according to the specific conditions of the disease as soon as possible can effectively prevent the formation of kyphosis and reduce the incidence of neurological damage and delayed paralysis.

Objective:To explore the clinical effect of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) at stage I in treatment of acute multi-segment osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) in the elderly with over 3 vertebrae operated.Methods:A retrospective case-control study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 105 aged patients with acute multi-segment OVCF admitted to Honghui Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University from October 2015 to February 2019. There were 27 males and 78 females, aged 65-92 years [(73.0±14.5)years]. All patients received stage I multi-segmental PVP and standard anti-osteoporosis treatment. There were more than 3 operative vertebral segments in 30 patients (observation group) and less than or equal to 3 operative vertebral segments in 75 patients (control group). The operation time, intraoperative fluoroscopy frequency, cement injection volume, cement leakage rate and incidence of recurrent vertebral fractures were compared between the two groups. The visual analogue scale (VAS), Oswestry disability index (ODI) and activity of daily living (ADL) score were compared before operation, 1 day, 1 month after operation and at the last follow-up.Results:All patients were followed up for 11-13 months [(12.5±1.8)months]. The observation group showed operation time of (71.2±12.2)minutes, intraoperative fluoroscopy frequency of (38.8±6.4)times and cement injection volume of (20.2±4.6)ml, more than those in control group [(52.3±10.6)minutes, (25.4±5.3)times, (12.3±4.3)ml] ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in cement leakage rate and incidence of recurrent vertebral fractures between the two groups ( P>0.05). No complications such as infection, nerve damage or cement implantation syndrome occurred. Before operation, 1 day after operation, 1 month after operation and at the last follow-up, the VAS in observation group [(7.6±0.7)points, (3.0±0.8)points, (2.3±0.7)points, (2.2±0.6)points] showed no significant difference from those in control group [(7.4±0.5)points, (2.9±0.4)points, (2.1±0.5)points, (2.0±0.5)points], the ODI in observation group [(74.6±3.3)%, (36.8±4.6)%, (29.7±4.0)%, (24.0±3.6)%] did not differ from those in control group [(73.8±1.0)%, (35.1±0.9)%, (28.4±2.2)%, (22.8±0.9)%], the ADL score in observation group [(34.5±5.0)points, (54.5±3.8)points, (73.7±3.9)points] were similar with those in control group [(36.2±3.4)points, (56.8±4.7)points, (75.3±5.3)points, (81.3±4.5)points] (all P>0.05). The postoperative VAS, ODI and ADL score in both groups were significantly improved in comparison with preoperation ( P<0.05). Conclusion:For acute multi-segment OVCF in the elderly with over 3 or not more than 3 the vertebrae operated, PVP at stage I has the same advantages in early pain relief and improvement of motor function and quality of life.