1.Comparative study of dual stability constructs and modified Scott techniques for symptomatic spondylolysis in active adolescents
Hui WANG ; Xiaotang SUN ; Qiping WU ; Hao ZENG ; Zhihong ZHANG ; Wanming WANG ; Jinshui CHEN
Chinese Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma 2023;25(10):859-865
Objective:To compare the efficacy between dual stability constructs and modified Scott techniques for treatment of symptomatic spondylolysis in active adolescents.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the clinical date of 64 active adolescents who had been treated for symptomatic spondylolysis at Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The 900th Hospital of Joint Logistic Support Force from January 2017 to October 2021. There were 59 males and 5 females with an age of (24.9±5.2) years. Responsible vertebral bodies were L 3 in 2 cases, L 4 in 10 cases, L 5 in 47 cases, and L 4 to L 5 in 5 cases; spondylolisthesis was accompanied in 9 cases. Depending on the surgical methods, the patients were divided into a dual stability constructs (pedicle screws and laminar screws) group (observation group, 31 cases) and a modified Scott group (control group, 33 cases). The 2 groups were compared in terms of operative time, bleeding volume, postoperative drainage volume, isthmus healing rate, rate of internal fixation failure, visual analogue scale (VAS) for low back pain, Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score and the good and excellent rate by JOA at postoperative 1 month, 3 months, and the last follow-up, and the incidence of complications. Results:There was no statistically significant difference in the preoperative general data between the 2 groups, indicating comparability ( P>0.05). All patients were followed up. The operation time in the observation group [(94.7±14.9) min] was significantly longer than that in the control group [(84.4±16.4) min] ( P=0.011), but there was no significant difference in intraoperative bleeding volume or postoperative drainage volume ( P>0.05). The healing rate of bilateral isthmi in the observation group was 93.5% (29/31), significantly higher than that in the control group [60.6% (20/33)], and the rate of internal fixation failure in the observation group (0) was significantly lower than that in the control group (12.1%, 4/33) ( P<0.05). At postoperative 1 month, 3 months, and the last follow-up, the VAS scores were significantly lower than the preoperative value in all patients while the JOA scores significantly higher ( P<0.05). At the last follow-up, in the observation group the VAS score [0 (0, 1.0)] was significantly lower than that in the control group [1(0, 2)], and the JOA score [(27.1±1.2) points] and the excellent and good rate by JOA [93.5% (29/31)] were significantly higher than those in the control group [(25.7±2.1) points and 75.8% (25/33)] ( P<0.05). In the control group, follow-ups revealed internal fixation failure in 4 cases due to the cable cutting out of the spinous processes, yielding a failure rate of 12.1%, while no internal fixation failure was observed in the observation group. Conclusions:Both dual stability constructs and modified Scott techniques can relieve the clinical symptoms of spondylolysis in active adolescents to various extents. However, dual stability constructs with pedicle screws and laminar screws may lead to a higher isthmus healing rate and better curative effects.