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.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) combined with spinal fractures with thoracic and lumbar fracture as the most common type shows characteristics of unstable fracture, high incidence of nerve injury, high mortality and high disability rate. The diagnosis may be missed because it is mostly caused by low-energy injury, when spinal rigidity and osteoporosis have a great impact on the accuracy of imaging examination. At the same time, the treatment choices are controversial, with no relevant specifications. Non-operative treatments can easily lead to bone nonunion, pseudoarthrosis and delayed nerve injury, while surgeries may be failed due to internal fixation failure. At present, there are no evidence-based guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of AS combined with thoracic and lumbar fracture. In this context, the Spinal Trauma Academic Group of Orthopedics Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association organized experts to formulate the Clinical guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of adult ankylosing spondylitis combined with thoracolumbar fracture ( version 2023) by following the principles of evidence-based medicine and systematically review related literatures. Ten recommendations on the diagnosis, imaging evaluation, classification and treatment of AS combined with thoracic and lumbar fracture were put forward, aiming to standardize the clinical diagnosis and treatment of such disorder.

The acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults have a higher rate of neurological injury and early death compared with atlas or axial fractures alone. Currently, the diagnosis and treatment choices of acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults are controversial because of the lack of standards for implementation. Non-operative treatments have a high incidence of bone nonunion and complications, while surgeries may easily lead to the injury of the vertebral artery, spinal cord and nerve root. At present, there are no evidence-based Chinese guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults. To provide orthopedic surgeons with the most up-to-date and effective information in treating acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults, the Spinal Trauma Group of Orthopedic Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association organized experts in the field of spinal trauma to develop the Evidence-based guideline for clinical diagnosis and treatment of acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults ( version 2023) by referring to the "Management of acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults" published by American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)/Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) in 2013 and the relevant Chinese and English literatures. Ten recommendations were made concerning the radiological diagnosis, stability judgment, treatment rules, treatment options and complications based on medical evidence, aiming to provide a reference for the diagnosis and treatment of acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults.

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.

Osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) can lead to lower back pain and may be even accompanied by scoliosis, neurological dysfunction and other complications, which will affect the daily activities and life quality of patients. Vertebral augmentation is an effective treatment method for OVCF, but it cannot correct unbalance of bone metabolism or improve the osteoporotic status, causing complications like lower back pain, limited spinal activities and vertebral refracture. The post-operative systematic and standardized rehabilitation treatments can improve curative effect and therapeutic efficacy of anti-osteoporosis, reduce risk of vertebral refracture, increase patient compliance and improve quality of life. Since there still lack relevant clinical treatment guidelines for postoperative rehabilitation treatments following vertebral augmentation for OVCF, the current treatments are varied with uneven therapeutic effect. In order to standardize the postoperative rehabilitation treatment, the Spine Trauma Group of the Orthopedic Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association organized relevant experts to refer to relevant literature and develop the "Guideline for postoperative rehabilitation treatment following vertebral augmentation for osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (2022 version)" based on the clinical guidelines published by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) as well as on the principles of scientificity, practicality and advancement. The guideline provided evidence-based recommendations on 10 important issues related to postoperative rehabilitation treatments of OVCF.

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.

Objective:To analyze the incidence and epidemiological characteristics of traumatic spinal cord injury in China in 2018.Methods:Multi-stage stratified cluster sampling was used to randomly select hospitals capable of treating patients with spinal cord injury from 3 regions，9 provinces and 27 cities in China to retrospectively investigate eligible patients with traumatic spinal cord injury admitted in 2018. National and regional incidence rates were calculated. The data of cause of injury，injury level，severity of injury，segment and type of fracture，complications，death and other data were collected by medical record questionnaire，and analyzed according to geographical region，age and gender.Results:Medical records of 4，134 patients were included in this study，with a male-to-female ratio of 2.99∶1. The incidence of traumatic spinal cord injury in China in 2018 was 50.484 / 1 million （95% CI 50.122-50.846）. The highest incidence in the Eastern region was 53.791 / 1 million （95% CI 53.217-54.365）. In the whole country，the main causes of injury were high falls （29.58%），as well as in the Western region （40.68%），while the main causes of injury in the Eastern and Central regions were traffic injuries （31.22%，30.10%）. The main injury level was cervical spinal cord in the whole country （64.49%），and the proportion of cervical spinal cord injury in the Central region was the highest （74.68%），and the proportion of lumbosacral spinal cord injury in the Western region was the highest （32.30%）. The highest proportion of degree of injury was incomplete quadriplegia （55.20%），and the distribution pattern was the same in each region. A total of 65.87% of the patients were complicated with fracture or dislocation，77.95% in the Western region and only 54.77% in the Central region. In the whole country，the head was the main combined injury （37.87%），as well as in the Eastern and Central regions，while the proportion of chest combined injury in the Western region was the highest （38.57%）. A total of 32.90% of the patients were complicated with respiratory complications. There were 23 patients （0.56%） died in hospital，of which 17（73.91%） died of respiratory dysfunction. Conclusions:The Eastern region of China has a high incidence of traumatic spinal cord injury. Other epidemiological features include high fall as the main cause of injury cervical spinal cord injury as the main injury level，incomplete quadriplegia as the main degree of injury，head as the main combined injury，and respiratory complications as the main complication.

According to the pathological characteristics of symptomatic chronic thoracic and lumbar osteoporotic vertebral fracture (SCOVF), the different clinical treatment methods are selected, including vertebral augmentation, anterior-posterior fixation and fusion, posterior decompression fixation and fusion, and posterior correction osteotomy. However, there is still a lack of a unified understanding on how to choose appropriate treatment method for SCOVF. In order to reflect the new treatment concept and the evidence-based medicine progress of SCOVF in a timely manner and standardize its treatment, the clinical guideline for surgical treatment of SCOVF is formulated in compliance with the principle of scientificity, practicability and advancement and based on the level of evidence-based medicine.

Since December 2019, the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has been reported in Wuhan, Hubei Province. Almost 70% of patients susceptible to 2019-nCoV are over age of 50 years, with extremely large proportion of critical illness and death of the elderly patients. Meanwhile, the elderly patients are at high risk of osteoporotic fractures especially osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF). During the prevention and control of COVID-19 epidemic, orthopedists are confronted with the following difficulties including how to screen and protect OVCF patients, how to accurately diagnose and assess the condition of OVCF patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, and how to develop reasonable treatment plans and comprehensive protective measures in emergency and outpatient clinics. In order to standardize the diagnosis and treatment of patients with OVCF diagnosed with COVID-19, the authors jointly develop this expert consensus. The consensus systematically recommends the standardized emergency and outpatient screening and confirmation procedures for OVCF patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 and protective measures for emergency and outpatient clinics. Moreover, the consensus describes the grading and classification of OVCF patients diagnosed with COVID-19 according to the severity of illness and recommends different treatment plans and corresponding protective measures based on the different types and epidemic prevention and control requirements.