Objectives:To analyze the risk factors for prolonged length of stay(LOS)after lesion removal and bone graft fusion internal fixation in patients with spinal tuberculosis,and to develop and validate a predictive model.Methods:The clinical data of 152 patients with spinal tuberculosis who underwent lesion removal and bone grafting and fusion internal fixation at Honghui Hospital affiliated to Xi'an Jiaotong Univer-sity from February 2016 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed.The patients were divided into the prolonged LOS(PLOS)group and normal LOS(NLOS)group according to whether their postoperative LOS ex-ceeded the postoperative LOS of the 75th percentile of the overall study cohort.Univariate analyses were per-formed for gender,age,hypertension,diabetes,paraplegia,anticoagulation history,tuberculosis resistance,pre-operative anti-tuberculosis time,blood transfusion,surgical site,surgical approach,number of fused vertebrae,operative time,intraoperative blood loss(IBL),postoperative complications,blood transfusion cost,hospital cost,C-reactive protein(CRP),erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR),albumin(ALB),blood routine,and coagulation function in both groups.Based on Lasso regression,the risk factors significantly associated with postoperative LOS prolongation in spinal tuberculosis were selected and incorporated into a multivariate logistic regression analysis,and thereby a prediction model was established based on the results of multivariate logistic regres-sion analysis.The model was visualized by plotting a nomogram as a means of predicting the probability of risk for prolongation of LOS after spinal tuberculosis surgery.Internal validation of the model was performed using extended Bootstrap,where receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves,calibration curves and decision curve analysis(DCA)were plotted to verify the discrimination,accuracy and clinical applicability.Results:The 152 patients enrolled in the study had a median LOS of 10d,and the 75%LOS was 14d.There were 96 patients in the PLOS group and 56 in the NLOS group.Univariate analysis showed that the differences in age,hypertension,diabetes,anticoagulation history,tuberculosis resistance,preoperative anti-tuberculosis time,surgical site,surgical approach,surgical time,IBL,postoperative complications,CRP,ESR,preoperative ALB,blood routine,and coagulation function were not statistically significant between the two groups(P＞0.05),while the differences in gender,paraplegia,blood transfusion,number of fused vertebrae,blood transfusion cost,and hospitalization cost were statistically significant(P＜0.05).The operative time,IBL,preoperative Hb,and preop-erative ALB were divided according to the Yoden index of ROC as the dividing point,and the cut-off value of operative time was 198(min),the cut-off value of IBL was 1000(mL),the cut-off value of preoperative Hb was 118(g/L),and the cut-off value of preoperative ALB was 38.8(g/L).Through Lasso regression model,the risk factors closely related to the prolongation of LOS after spinal tuberculosis were female,blood transfusion,the number of fused vertebrae≥3,operative time≥198min and IBL≥1000mL,preoperative Hb＜118g/L and preoperative ALB＜38.8g/L.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that female,number of fused ver-tebrae≥3,operative time≥198min and IBL≥1000mL were the risk factors for postoperative LOS prolongation in patients with spinal tuberculosis(P＜0.05).A visual nomogram model for logistic regression was constructed,and the predictors included female,number of fused vertebrae,operative time,and IBL.A Bootstrap self-sampling of 1,000 times was performed to complete the internal validation of the model,with a C-index value of 0.882 and an area under the curve(AUC)of ROC of 0.884(95%CI:0.782 to 0.985).The calibration curve showed that the apparent curve of the model fitted well with the curve after deviation correction.The DCA curve showed that the threshold range of 0.2 to 0.9 had the greatest clinical benefit.Conclusions:Female,number of fused vertebrae≥3,operative time≥198min and IBL≥1000mL are the main risk factors for pro-longed LOS after lesion removal and bone graft fusion with internal fixation in patients with spinal tuberculo-sis,and the predictive model based on the above risk factors can help physicians to make clinical decisions and optimize the perioperative management.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) combined with lower cervical fracture is often categorized into unstable fracture, with a high incidence of neurological injury and a high rate of disability and morbidity. As factors such as shoulder occlusion may affect the accuracy of X-ray imaging diagnosis, it is often easily misdiagnosed at the primary diagnosis. Non-operative treatment has complications such as bone nonunion and the possibility of secondary neurological damage, while the timing, access and choice of surgical treatment are still controversial. Currently, there are no clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of AS combined with lower cervical fracture with or without dislocation. To this end, the Spinal Trauma Group of Orthopedics Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association organized experts to formulate Clinical guidelines for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis combined with lower cervical fracture in adults ( version 2024) in accordance with the principles of evidence-based medicine, scientificity and practicality, in which 11 recommendations were put forward in terms of the diagnosis, imaging evaluation, typing and treatment, etc, to provide guidance for the diagnosis and treatment of AS combined with lower cervical fracture.

Objective:To investigate the long-term efficacy of self-designed posterior atlas polyaxial screw-plate in the treatment of unstable atlas fracture.Methods:A retrospective case series study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 20 patients with unstable atlas fracture who were admitted to Affiliated Honghui Hospital of Xi′an Jiaotong University from January 2011 to April 2013, including 14 males and 6 females, aged 23-60 years [(42.7±8.6)years]. All the patients were treated with internal fixation using self-designed posterior atlas polyaxial screw-plate. The operation time and intraoperative bleeding volume were recorded. The fracture reduction was evaluated by CT scan at 3 days after surgery. The bone healing was observed by X-ray (anterior-posterior and lateral views of the cervical spine) and CT scan at 9 months after surgery. The delayed spinal cord injuries were evaluated by Frankel grade at 1 and 2 years after surgery and at the last follow-up. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) before surgery, at 3 months, 1 year, 2 years after surgery and at the last follow-up were compared. The axial rotation, flexion and extension range of the cervical spine at 3 months, 1 year, 2 years after surgery and at the last follow-up were compared. Intraoperative and postoperative complications were observed.Results:All the patients were followed up for 121-148 months [(135.0±6.8)months]. The operation duration was 68-122 minutes [(86.0±14.1)minutes], with the intraoperative blood loss of 90-400 ml [(120.0±67.9)ml]. The CT scan of the cervical spine at 3 days after surgery showed all satisfactory fracture reduction. Satisfactory bone reunion was observed at 9 months after surgery. All patients were scaled as Frankel grade E at 1 year, 2 years and at the last follow-up after surgery, with no delayed spinal cord injuries observed. The VAS scores of the cervical spine at 3 months, 1 year, 2 years after surgery and at the last follow-up were 2.0(1.3, 3.0)points, 1.0(1.0, 1.8)points, 1.0(0.3, 1.0)points and 1.0(0.3, 1.0)points, which were significantly lower than that before surgery [7.0(6.0, 7.8)points] ( P<0.05), with significantly lower scores at 1-, 2-year after surgeny and at the last follow-up than at 3 months after surgery ( P<0.05). There were no significant differences among the other time points ( P>0.05). The axial rotation ranges of the cervical spine were (103.0±8.3)°, (128.3± 11.4)° and (129.8±13.6)° at 1 year, 2 years after surgery and at the last follow-up respectively, which were significantly higher than that at 3 months after surgery [(85.3±7.0)°] ( P<0.05); It was further improved at 2 years after surgery and at the last follow-up compared with that at 1 year after surgery ( P<0.05), with no significant difference at the last follow-up compared with that at 2 years after surgery ( P>0.05). The flexion and extension range of the cervical spine at 1 year, 2 years after surgery and at the last follow-up were (65.5±4.8)°, (78.3±6.5)° and (79.3±6.9)° respectively, which were significantly higher than that at 3 months after surgery [(54.3±4.4)°] ( P<0.05); It was further improved at 2 years after surgery and at the last follow-up compared with that at 1 year after surgery ( P<0.05), with no significant difference between the last follow-up and 2 years after surgery ( P>0.05). No intraoperative injuries such as arteriovenous injury were observed. No incision infection or dehiscence occurred after surgery, with no complications caused by long-term bed rest such as lung or urinary tract infection, pressure sore formation or deep vein thrombosis occurred. No loosening or breakage of the screw and atlas plate was observed at the long-term follow-up. One patient had mild cervical pain, snap during rotation, and limited range of motion at the last follow-up. Conclusion:Self-designed posterior atlas polyaxial screw-plate has merits including small surgical wounds, satisfactory reduction, solid fixation, obvious pain relief, effective preservation of the previous cervical motion, few complications, and satisfactory long-term efficacy in the treatment of unstable atlas fracture.

Objective:To compare the efficacy of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) under enhanced regional and conventional anesthesia for multisegmental acute symptomatic osteoporotic thoracolumbar fractures (m-ASOTLF).Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the data of 91 patients with m-ASOTLF who were admitted to Honghui Hospital of Xi′an Jiaotong University from January 2021 to December 2022, including 36 males and 55 females, aged 55-80 years [(67.4±7.3)years]. According to American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification system, 18 patients were classified as grade I, 52 grade II, and 21 grade III. Injured segments included T 6-T 10 in 23 patients, T 11-L 2 in 47 and L 3-L 5 in 21. All the patients were treated with PVP, among whom 45 were given enhanced regional anesthesia (enhanced anesthesia group) and 46 regional conventional anesthesia (conventional anesthesia group). The following indicators were compared between the two groups: the operation time, intraoperative bleeding, intraoperative heart rate, intraoperative mean arterial pressure (MAP), number of intraoperative fluoroscopies, and total amount of bone cement injected; the visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry dysfunction index (ODI) before surgery, at 1 day, 1 month after surgery and at the last follow-up; the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) before surgery, at 1, 6, and 12 hours after surgery; the anterior vertebrae height (AVH), middle vertebrae height (MVH), and vertebral kyphosis angle (VKA) before and at 1 day after surgery; the incidence of complications such as bone cement leakage. Results:All the patients were followed up for 12-20 months [(15.8±2.6)months]. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the operation time, intraoperative bleeding, intraoperative heart rate, intraoperative MAP, number of intraoperative fluoroscopies or total amount of bone cement injected ( P>0.05). No significant differences were found between the two groups in VAS or ODI before surgery and at the last follow-up ( P>0.05). The VAS scores in the enhanced anesthesia group were (2.5±0.4)points and (1.8±0.3)points at 1 day and 1 month postoperatively respectively, which were both lower than (3.5±0.4)points and (2.0±0.5)points in the conventional anesthesia group ( P<0.01). The ODI values in the enhanced anesthesia group were 39.8±3.3 and 26.5±5.0 at 1 day and 1 month postoperatively respectively, which were both lower than 43.8±7.5 and 30.3±6.4 in the conventional anesthesia group ( P<0.01). The VAS and ODI at all postoperative time points decreased in both groups compared with those before surgery, with significant differences among those at all postoperative time points ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the MMSE scores before, at 1, 6, and 12 hours after surgery ( P>0.05). The MMSE scores at 1 and 6 hours postoperatively were lower than that preoperatively in both groups ( P<0.05), and it was increased at 6 hours compared with that at 1 hour postoperatively ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the MMSE scores at 12 hours postoperatively and preoperatively in both groups ( P>0.05). The differences between the two groups in AVH, MVH, or VKA preoperatively were not statistically significant ( P>0.05). The AVH and MVH at 1 day postoperatively in the enhanced anesthesia group were (22.4±4.2)mm and (22.7±3.7)mm respectively, which were both higher than those in the conventional anesthesia group [(19.3±3.7)mm and (20.1±6.3)mm] ( P<0.05 or 0.01); the VKA at 1 day postoperatively in the enhanced anesthesia group was (13.9±3.7)°, which was lower than that in the conventional anesthesia group (15.8±4.1)° ( P<0.05). The AVH, MVH, and VKA in both groups were all improved at 1 day postoperatively compared with those preoperatively ( P<0.05). The incidence of bone cement leakage in the enhanced anesthesia group was 6.7% (3/45), which was lower than 21.7% (10/46) in the conventional anesthesia group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Compared with conventional regional anesthesia, PVP under enhanced regional anesthesia for m-ASOTLF has more advantages in early postoperative pain relief, improvement of spinal function, restoration of vertebral height and reduction of bone cement leakage.

Objective:To explore the efficacy of secondary targeted percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) for the treatment of refracture of injured vertebrae after vertebral augmentation for osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF).Methods:A retrospective case series study was performed on the clinical data of 25 patients with refracture of injured vertebrae after vertebral augmentation for OVCF admitted to Honghui Hospital, Xi′an Jiaotong University from January 2019 to January 2022, including 10 males and 15 females, aged 62-86 years [(73.8±5.2)years]. The fractured segments involved T 10 in 1 patient, T 11 in 2, T 12 in 10, L 1 in 10 and L 2 in 2. All the patients were treated with secondary targeted PVP. The operation time and the amount of bone cement injected were recorded. The visual analogue scale (VAS) of lower back, Oswestry disability index (ODI), vertebral body index (VBI) and kyphotic angle (KA) were compared before surgery, at 1 day, 6 months after surgery and at the last follow-up. Odom criteria were used to evaluate the efficacy of the surgical procedure at the last follow-up. The intraoperative bone cement leakage and new vertebrae fracture during follow-up were observed. Results:All the patients were followed up for 23-59 months [(36.8±7.6)months]. The operation time was 35-60 minutes [(42.6±5.2)minutes], with the amount of bone cement injected for 3-5 ml [(3.6±0.8)ml]. The VAS scores of lower back at 1 day, 6 months after surgery and at the last follow-up were 3.1(2.0, 4.0)points, 1.7(1.0, 2.0)points and 0.6(0.0, 1.0)points respectively, significantly lower than 7.6(7.0, 9.0)points before surgery ( P<0.01), and a statistically singnificant decrease was found over follow-up time ( P<0.01). The ODI values at 1 day, 6 months after surgery and at the last follow-up were (49.5±5.9)%, (28.5±4.6)% and (19.2±4.8)% respectively, significantly lower than (78.8±6.8)% before surgery ( P<0.01), and a statistically singnificant decrease was found over follow-up time ( P<0.01). The VBI values at 1 day, 6 months after surgery and at the last follow-up were (76.6±4.5)%, (76.3±4.0)% and (76.1±3.8)% respectively, significantly higher than (58.9±5.8)% before surgery ( P<0.01), while there were no significant differences among those at 1 day, 6 months after surgery and at the last follow-up ( P>0.05). The KA values at 1 day, 6 months after surgery and at the last follow-up were (12.4±2.7)°, (12.6±2.5)° and (12.8±2.9)° respectively, significantly lower than (20.8±3.6)° before surgery ( P<0.01), while there were no significant differences among those at 1 day, 6 months after surgery and at the last follow-up ( P>0.05). According to the Odom criteria, 20 patients were rated excellent and 5 good at the last follow-up, with an excellent and good rate of 100%. Intraoperative asymptomatic bone cement leakage occurred in 3 patients (12%), including 2 with intervertebral leakage and 1 with lateral vertebral leakage. No adjacent vertebral body or other vertebral fracture was observed during the follow-up. Conclusions:For patients with refracture of injured vertebrae after vertebral augmentation for OVCF, the secondary targeted PVP has advantages of attenuation of the lower back pain, improvement of the quality of life, restoration of the height of refractured vertebrae, correction of the local kyphosis, and a low incidence of complications.

Cervical spinal cord injury without fracture-dislocation (CSCIWFD) in adults is a condition in which the cervical spinal cord is injured by an external force to the cervical spine, but the cervical spine itself is not fractured or dislocated on X-ray films or CT. Since CSCIWFD is caused by a second-strike injury to the body, with a compression formed by spinal cord edema and ligamentous hematoma, signs of neurological function impairment that may not appear until several days after the injury which often cause incomplete or complete paralysis, thus resulting in chronic pain and loss of work. Inadequate treatment in the early stages of injury can exacerbate delayed neurological deficits, seriously offecting the patients' quality of life and life expectancy. Currently, there are problems related to the diagnosis and treatment of CSCIWFD, such as the of clinical manifestations varying severity, complex mechanism of injury, high rates of missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis, and controversial treatment methods. Besides, standardized diagnostic and treatment regimens, multimodal diagnostic approach, and individualized treatment plans should be adopted to improve the diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic effects and maximize the prognosis of patients. In this regard, the authors discussed the clinical characteristics and key issues requiring urgent attention in the diagnosis and treatment of CSCIWFD to provide a reference for clinical diagnosis and 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.

AO type C thoracolumbar fractures are the most serious type of spinal fractures. Among them, the non-displaced type C fractures are easy to be misdiagnosed and mistreated because of their atypical imaging manifestations and few associated neurological symptoms, which ultimately lead to serious consequences such as treatment failure and paralysis. MRI examination is crucial for a correct diagnosis, but most orthopedic surgeons make a diagnosis largely based on the results of X-ray and CT examinations, in which type C fractures are easily misdiagnosed as type B. Non-displaced type C fractures involve three-column injuries and require surgical treatment, for which the key is to fully reconstruct the stability of the three columns. However, in the current clinical practice, it is common to use simple posterior fixation only, resulting in treatment failure. To this end, the authors conducted an in-depth discussion on the diagnosis and treatment of non-displaced AO type C thoracolumbar fractures, aiming to improve orthopedic clinicians ′ understanding and awareness of their significance.

Objective:To test and evaluate the reliability and clinical effectiveness of osteoporotic thoracolumbar fracture (OTLF) scoring and classification system.Methods:A multicenter retrospective case series study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 530 OTLF patients admitted to 8 hospitals including Honghui Hospital Affiliated to Xi'an Jiaotong University from January 2021 to June 2022. There were 212 males and 318 females, aged 55-90 years [(72.6±10.8)years]. There were 4 patients with grade C and 18 with grade D according to American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) classification. According to the osteoporotic thoracolumbar injury classification and severity (OTLICS) score, all patients had an OTLICS score over 4 points and required surgical treatment. Among them, 410 patients had acute symptomatic OTLF (ASOTLF), including 24 patients with type I, 159 type IIA, 47 type IIB, 31 type IIC, 136 type IIIA, 8 type IIIB, 2 type IV (absence of neurological symptoms) and 3 type IV (presence of neurological symptoms), and 120 patients had chronic symptomatic OTLF (CSOTLF), including 62 patients with type I, 21 type II, 17 type III, 3 type IV (reducible under general anesthesia), 9 type IV (not reducible under general anesthesia), 1 type V (reducible under general anesthesia), 5 type V (presence of neurological symptoms), and 2 type V (not reducible under general anesthesia). Surgical procedures included percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP), positional repositioning plus PVP, percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP), posterior open reduction combined with bone graft fusion and bone cement augmented screw internal fixation, posterior open reduction combined with decompression, bone graft fusion and bone cement augmented screw internal fixation, and posterior open reduction combined with osteotomy and orthopedics, bone graft fusion and bone cement augmented screw internal fixation. A weighted Kappa was used to test the interobserver and intraobserver reliability of the OTLICS score, the ASOTLF classification, and the CSOTLF classification. The visual analog scale (VAS), Oswestry disability index (ODI), ASIA classification were compared before, at 1 month after surgery and at the last follow-up. Incidence of postoperative complications was observed.Results:The percentage of mean interobserver agreement for OTLICS staging was 93.4%, with a mean confidence Kappa value of 0.86, and the percentage of mean intraobserver agreement was 93.0%, with a mean confidence kappa value of 0.86. The percentage of mean interobserver agreement for ASOTLF staging was 94.2%, with a mean confidence Kappa value of 0.84, and the percentage of mean intraobserver agreement was 92.5%, with a mean confidence Kappa value of 0.83. The percentage of mean interobserver agreement for CSOTLF subtyping was 91.9%, with a mean confidence Kappa value of 0.80, and the percentage of mean intraobserver agreement was 91.3%, with a mean confidence Kappa value of 0.81. All the patients were followed up for 6-12 months [(9.0±2.1)months]. The VAS and ODI scores were significantly lower in patients with ASOTLF and CSOTLF classifications at 1 month after surgery and at the last follow-up than those before surgery (all P<0.05). The VAS scores in patients with ASOTLF types IIA, IIB, IIC, IIIA, and IV were significantly lower at the last follow-up than that at 1 month after surgery; the ODI scores in patients with ASOTLF types I, IIA, IIB, IIIA, IIIB and IV were significantly lower at the last follow-up than those at 1 month after surgery. The VAS scores in patients with CSOTLF types II, III, IV, and V were significantly lower at the last follow-up than those at 1 month after surgery, and the ODI scores in patients with all CSOTLF types were significantly lower at the last follow-up than those at 1 month after surgery (all P<0.05). Two patients with ASIA grade C recovered to grade D, and the rest recovered to grade E at the last follow-up ( P<0.01). No major vessel or nerve injury or internal fixation failure was found during follow-up. There were 18 patients with cement leakage, none of whom showed relevant clinical symptoms. There were 35 patients with new vertebral fractures, all of whom recovered well after symptomatic treatment. Conclusions:The OTLICS score, ASOTLF classification and CSOTLF classification have a high degree of reliability. Application of stepwise treatment for patients with different levels of injury according to the scoring and classification system can reduce pain, promote recovery of the spinal function, and reduce complications, which is of some significance in guiding the selection of clinical treatment.

Objective:To compare the efficacy of cervical decompression performed at different times in the treatment of incomplete cervical spinal cord injury.Methods:A multicenter retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 96 patients with incomplete cervical spinal cord injury admitted to six hospitals including Honghui Hospital affiliated to Xi'an Jiaotong University, etc, from May 2018 to May 2021. There were 36 females and 60 males, aged 28-42 years [(35.2±6.7)years]. The injured segments were at C 3 in 7 patients, C 4 in 15, C 5 in 20, C 6 in 23 and C 7 in 31. According to the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) scale, there were 59 patients with grade B, 27 grade C, and 10 grade D. A total of 36 patients underwent cervical decompression within 24 hours after injury (early group), 33 patients within 24-72 hours after injury (late group), and 27 patients within 4-14 days after injury (delayed group). The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage, length of hospital stay, Cobb angle, height of intervertebral space and space occupation of the spinal canal before surgery and at postoperative 3 days, and ASIA score, ASIA motor score, ASIA light tactile score, ASIA acupuncture sensation score, visual analog scale (VAS) score, Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score, neck dysfunction index (NDI) before surgery and at postoperative 3 months, 1 year and at the last follow-up and incidence of complications were compared among the three groups. Results:All the patients were followed up for 12-21 months [(16.4±4.2)months]. There was no significant difference in the operation time among the three groups (all P>0.05). The intraoperative blood loss and postoperative drainage volume in the early group were (312.5±5.2)ml and (165.3±45.8)ml, which were higher than those in the late group [(253.5±40.0)ml, (120.4±60.6)ml] and the delayed group [(267.3±36.8)ml and (130.4±38.6)ml] (all P<0.01). There was no significant difference between the late group and the delayed group (all P>0.05). The length of hospital stay in the early group was (5.2±1.6)days, which was shorter than that in the late group [(7.6±2.3)days] and the delayed group [(8.0±1.3)days] (all P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between the late group and the delayed group ( P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the Cobb angle, height of intervertebral space and space occupation of the spinal canal among the three groups before and at postoperative 3 days (all P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the ASIA score, ASIA motor score, ASIA light tactile score, ASIA acupuncture sensation score, VAS score, JOA score and NDI among the three groups before surgery (all P>0.05). At postoperative 3 months, 1 year and at the last follow-up, the ASIA grading of the early group was better than that of the late group and the delayed group ( P<0.05 or 0.01), but there was no statistically significant difference between the late group and the delayed group (all P>0.05). The ASIA motor scores of the early group were (56.4±4.5)points, (76.3±3.6)points and (85.4±6.5)points at postoperative 3 months, postoperative 1 year and the last follow-up, respectively, which were higher than those in the late group [(52.3±2.4)points, (60.3±8.6)points and (72.3±2.4)points] and the delayed group [(51.9±2.3)points, (62.8±4.6)points and (71.9±1.3)points]; the ASIA light tactile scores of the early group were (70.2±2.9)points, (72.6±4.3)points and (78.3±2.3)points, which were higher than those in the late group [(66.2±3.7)points, (68.3±1.6)points and (73.3±1.6)points] and the delayed group [(65.2±2.1)points, (67.8±1.9)points and (72.3±2.5)points]; acupuncture sensation scores of the early group were (71.9±3.1)points, (80.1±3.8)points and (89.1±7.6)points, which were higher than those in the late group [(67.4±2.7)points, (72.6±3.7)points and (77.9±1.8)points] and the delayed group [(68.3±2.2)points, (72.6±3.1)points and (77.2±1.9)points] (all P<0.05). VAS scores of the early group at postoperative 3 months, 1 year and at the last follow-up were (4.3±0.6)points, (2.4±0.3)points and (1.6±0.2)points, which were lower than those in the late group [(5.1±1.3)points, (4.1±0.6)points and (3.0±0.6)points] and the delayed group [(5.0±1.7)points, (4.0±0.8)points and (3.1±0.2)points]; JOA scores of the early group were (12.8±1.6)points, (14.4±2.6)points and (17.9±3.3)points, which were higher than those in the late group [(11.9±1.9)points, (13.3±1.6)points and (8.9±1.3)points] and the delayed group [(11.6±1.8)points, (13.2±1.4)points and (9.3±2.1)points]; NDI scores of the early group were 12.1±3.3, 10.1±2.1 and 7.3±1.4, which were lower than those in the late group (14.4±3.1, 12.3±1.6 and 8.9±1.3) and the delayed group (14.1±2.3, 12.9±1.9 and 9.5±2.1) (all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in all the above-mentioned scores at postoperative 3 months, 1 year and at the last follow-up between the late group and the delayed group (all P>0.05). The incidence of complications was 25.0% (9/36) in the early group, 27.3% (9/33) in the late group and 37.0% (10/27) in the delayed group (all P>0.05). Conclusion:Compared with within 24-72 hours and 4-14 days after injury, cervical decompression performed within 24 hours after injury for patients with incomplete cervical spinal cord injury can shorten the length of hospital stay, improve the function of the spinal cord nerves and relieve pain, with no increase of the incidence of complications.