Objective:To evaluate the guiding value of ultrasound-guided selective nerve root block in the surgical treatment of multilevel lumbar degeneration.Methods:Retrospective case-control study was used. Clinical data of 47 patients with multi-level lumbar degeneration who underwent decompression surgery in Honghui Hospital, Xi′an Jiaotong University from January 2019 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. They were divided into nerve root block group ( n=22)and non-nerve root block group( n=25) according to whether ultrasound-guided selective nerve root block was performed before decompression surgery. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, number of decompression laminae, postoperative drainage volume and length of stay of the two groups were recorded and compared. The visual analogue scale of low back pain, the visual analogue scale (VAS) of leg pain, the Japanese orthopaedic association (JOA) score and Oswestry disability index (ODI) score were all compared before surgery and during follow-up between the two groups. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as mean±standard deviation( ± s), and the comparison between groups was conducted using the paired t-test. Chi-square test was used for counting data. Results:All 47 patients successfully completed the operation without any serious complications such as neurovascular injury. All patients were followed up for (27.6±7.5)months. In the nerve root block group, the operation time, intraoperative blood loss, number of decompression laminae, postoperative drainage volume and hospital stay were (90.5±12.6) min, (110.5±15.8) mL, 1.2±0.8, (85.6±15.8) mL, (6.2±2.8) d, respectively. In the non-root block group, they were (190.6±25.5) min, (450.5±24.8) mL, 3.8±1.6, (210.5±16.8) mL, (9.5±2.2) d, respectively. The above indexes in the nerve root closure group were less than those in the non-root closure group, and the difference was significant between the two groups ( P< 0.05). The scores of VAS of low back pain and leg pain, JOA and ODI in both groups were significantly improved after surgery and during the follow-up period when compared with those of pre-operation ( P< 0.05). The VAS scores of low back pain on the 3rd day, 6 months after operation and at the last follow-up in the nerve block group were 3.2±1.4, 1.4±0.8, 0.5±0.2, the JOA scores were 15.8±4.3, 21.3±5.6, 25.6±1.4, and the ODI scores were 50.6±10.3, 22.8±7.8, 16.8±4.2, respectively. The VAS scores of low back pain on the 3rd day, 6 months after operation and at the last follow-up in the non-nerve block group were 5.1±1.8, 3.4±1.2, 1.8±0.5, the JOA scores were 14.1±4.8, 20.5±3.2, 24.2±1.8, and the ODI scores were 60.5±9.8, 31.6±8.2 and 21.3±5.5, respectively. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( P<0.05). However, there was no statistical difference in the VAS scores of leg pain between the two groups after surgery and during follow-up ( P>0.05). At the last follow-up, the internal fixation position of the two groups was good, no loosening and displacement, and bone graft fusion was good. Conclusion:For patients with multi-level lumbar degeneration, ultrasound-guided selective nerve root block before surgery can identify the responsible segment, and selective decompression and fusion based on this can effectively reduce surgical trauma, while improving patients′ back and leg pain and physical function, which has important surgical guidance value.

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.

Objective:To investigate the level change of serum total n-terminal propeptide of type Ⅰ precollagen (t-PINP) /type Ⅰ collagen carboxy-terminal peptide (beta-CTX) ratio, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D, 25 (OH) ) ratio, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D in elderly women with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) after surgery and its value in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis (OP) .Methods:From Jan. 2020 to May. 2021, 112 elderly female postoperative DTC patients treated with thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) suppression in Department of Endocrinology of Wenzhou Hospital of Integrative Medicine were collected for a prospective study, and the incidence of OP after 1 year of treatment was counted, and according to the incidence of OP, they were divided into incidence group ( n=78) and non-incidence group ( n=34). The general information, thyroid parameters [TSH, free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4) ], bone mineral density (BMD), and serum t-titrosine (BMD) were compared between the two groups. SPSS22.0 software was used, and the counting data was described by examples χ2 test. Grade data was expressed in u, Ridit test was used, measurement data was described in mean±standard deviation ( ±s), t test was used, Pearson correlation coefficient model was used to analyze postoperative thyroid index and serum t-PINP/β- Correlation between CTX ratio and 25 (OH) D level, and serum t-PINP after 1 year of treatment was analyzed through interaction/β- The role of CTX ratio and 25 (OH) D level in OP occurrence. Results:The incidence of OP after 1 year of TSH suppression treatment in 112 elderly female post-DTC patients in this study was 69.64% (78/112) ; serum TSH levels (0.63±0.19) mIU/ml after 1 year of treatment in patients who developed OP were lower than those in patients who did not develop OP (0.81±0.22) mIU/ml, and serum FT3 (6.15±1.71) pmol/ml and FT4 levels (24.63±4.28) pmol/ml were higher than those of patients without OP (4.32±1.29) pmol/ml and (20.36±3.70) pmol/ml ( t1=4.391, t2=5.581, t3=5.050,all P<0.05) .Serum t-PINP/β-CTX ratio (130.27±18.09) and 25 (OH) D level (20.18±4.15) ng/ml after 1 year of treatment in patients with OP were lower than those in patients without OP (148.56±20.37) and (23.36±4.36) ng/ml ( t1=4.733, t2=3.672, both P<0.05) ; serum TSH levels were positively correlated with serum t-PINP/β-CTX ratio and 25 (OH) D levels, and serum FT3 and FT4 levels were negatively correlated with serum t-PINP/β-CTX ratio and 25 (OH) D levels after 1 year of treatment in patients with OP ( P<0.05) ; low serum t-PINP/β-CTX ratio after 1 year of treatment expression, and low 25 (OH) D levels showed a positive interaction in OP occurrence in a superphase multiplicative model ( P<0.05) . Conclusion:Serum t-PINP/β-CTX ratio and 25 (OH) D level are closely associated with the occurrence of OP after DTC in elderly women, and postoperative monitoring can help prevent and treat OP.

Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis(DISH) is a kind of ankylosing spinal disease, which usually occurs in the middle-aged and elderly. It is mainly manifested as ossification and calcification of ligaments and tendon attachment points. It is a bone disease that mainly involves the spine but is not accompanied by severe intervertebral disc degeneration or sacroiliac joint and intervertebral facet joint ankylosis. DISH combined with thoracolumbar fracture has a high rate of delayed diagnosis and neurological deterioration, so this kind of fracture should be diagnosed and treated in time. However, there are different conclusions on the choice of treatment methods and postoperative efficacy, and there are still disputes in some academic aspects.The author consulted the relevant literature and reviewed the treatment methods of DISH combined with thoracolumbar fracture in order to provide reference for the clinical treatment of this kind of fracture.

Objective Due to the increasing number but unknown quality of the existing systematic reviews meta-analyses(SRs/MAs)of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of cancer-related fatigue(CRF),this overview aimed to systematically evaluate and synthesize these SRs/MAs.Methods SRs/MAs were searched via 8 databases from inception to February 22,2022.AMSTAR 2,PRISMA and GRADE evaluation tools were used to evaluate the quality of reports,methodologies and evidence included in MAs/SRs.All analyses were performed with radar plots.Results 16 SRs/MAs were included.The main outcome index was the degree of fatigue.The results of 12 articles showed that acupuncture could effectively alleviate CRF.According to AMSTAR-2,4 SRs/MAs were considered being of high quality,10 medium quality and 2 low quality.There are 12 articles with PRISMA score of 16-24 and 4 articles with PRISMA score of 15-20.5,which mainly have defects in protocol registration and inter study bias.Amstar 2 evaluation includes 4 high-quality studies,studies.Grade rating shows that the evidence quality of acupuncture treatment of CRF is mostly medium,and the main factor of degradation is inaccuracy.Conclusions At present,the SRS/MAS report of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of CRF is complete,and the quality of methodology and evidence is medium.It is suggested that SRS/MAS improve the program registration and funding source description in the future to enhance the assessment of the risk of inter study bias.

The symptomatic chronic thoracolumbar osteoporotic vertebral fracture (SCOVF) is complex in symptom and pathological character. Various treatment methods are employed for SCOVF, but there still lacks standard criteria for proper selection. Therefore, Spine Trauma Division of Chinese Association of Orthopedic Surgeons together with the relevant experts formulated and released the clinical guideline on surgical treatment for SCOVF. Due to space limitations, the guideline did not make full elaboration and analysis on some recommendations. In this study, the authors aim to interpret some key clinical issues in the diagnosis, choice of operation methods and choice of internal fixation methods of SCOVF, hoping to help peers better grasp the connotation of the guideline and apply it correctly in clinical practice.

Objective:To compare the efficacy of forceful reduction percutaneous pedicle screw and ordinary percutaneous pedicle screw in the treatment of osteoporotic thoracolumbar burst fracture with kyphosis.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 566 patients with osteoporotic thoracolumbar burst fracture with kyphosis admitted to Honghui Hospital, Xi ′an Jiaotong University from January 2015 to December 2018, including 191 males and 375 females, with age range of 48-79 years [(61.7±10.7)years]. Fracture segments were located at T 11 in 134 patients, T 12 in 154, L 1 in 160, and L 2 in 118. All fractures were type IIIA according to the acute symptomatic osteoporotic thoracolumbar fracture classification (ASOTLF). The thoracolumbar osteoporotic fracture severity score assessment system (TLOFSAS) score was ≥5 points. A total of 275 patients underwent forceful reduction and percutaneous pedicle screw internal fixation (forceful reduction screw group), and 291 patients underwent common percutaneous pedicle screw internal fixation (common screw group). The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, times of X-ray exposure on patients and measures documented before operation, at 3 days after operation and at 2 years after operation including anterior height ratio of the injured vertebrae, sagittal Cobb angle of the injured vertebrae, Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score and visual analog scale (VAS) were compared between the two groups. Moreover, degree of correction of Cobb angle at 3 days after operation, loss of correction of Cobb angle at 2 years after operation and postoperative complications were observed. Results:All patients were followed up for 25-34 months [(29.9±3.4)months]. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss and times of X-ray exposure on patients in forceful reduction screw group were (69.4±10.2)minutes, (60.3±13.1)ml and (26.8±3.7)times, less than (80.6±11.9)minutes, (80.7±15.4)ml and (30.4±3.4)times in common screw group (all P<0.01). There was no significant difference in anterior height ratio of the injured vertebrae between the two groups before operation and at 3 days after operation (all P>0.05). The anterior height ratio of the injured vertebrae in forceful reduction screw group was (95.5±2.3)% at 2 years after operation, significantly higher than (85.4±1.7)% in common screw group ( P<0.01). There was no significant difference in sagittal Cobb angle of the injured vertebrae between the two groups before operation ( P>0.05). The sagittal Cobb of the injured vertebrae in forceful reduction screw group at 3 days and 2 years after operation were (7.9±1.6)° and (8.8±1.5)°, lower than (10.6±1.1)° and (12.3±1.2)° in common screw group ( P<0.05 or 0.01). There were no significant difference in JOA score and VAS between the two groups before operation, at 3 days and at 2 years after operation (all P>0.05). The degree of correction of Cobb angle in forceful reduction screw group was (19.4±2.5)°, higher than (17.3±2.6)° in common screw group ( P<0.05). The loss of correction of Cobb angle in forceful reduction group was less than that in common screw group at 2 years after operation, but the difference was not statistically significant ( P>0.05). The incidence of postoperative complications in forceful reduction screw group was 12.4% (34/275), compared to 14.1% (41/291) in common screw group ( P>0.05). There were no complications such as iatrogenic nerve injury, fracture or loosening of internal fixator or leakage of bone cement in the spinal canal in both groups. Conclusions:For osteoporotic thoracolumbar burst fracture with kyphosis, forceful reduction and percutaneous pedicle screw internal fixation can significantly shorten operation time, reduce intraoperative blood loss and times of X-ray exposure on patients, restore height of the injured vertebrae, correct kyphosis and maintain reduction height of the injured vertebrae in contrast with conventional percutaneous pedicle screw internal fixation.

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.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of flexion-lateral curvature-supination reduction combined with primary anterior surgery for the treatment of lower cervical dislocation with unilateral facet inter-locking.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed in the 32 patients who had been admitted to Department of Spine Surgery, Honghui Hospital for lower cervical dislocation with unilateral facet interlocking from November 2015 to October 2018. According to their treatments, they were divided into 2 groups. In the emergency group treated by flexion-lateral curvature-supination reduction combined with primary anterior surgery, there were 13 males and 3 females, aged from 24 to 63 years. In the traction group treated by cranial traction reduction combined with secondary anterior surgery, there were 12 males and 4 females, aged from 20 to 64 years. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, hospital stay, bone graft fusion, American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) grade and Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score were compared between the 2 groups.Results:There was no significant difference in the preoperative general data between the 2 groups, showing they were comparable ( P<0.05). All patients were followed up from 26 to 40 months. The hospital stay for the emergency group [(7.2±1.2) d] was significantly shorter than that for the traction group[(10.9±1.2) d] ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the operation time, blood loss, ASIA grade or JOA score between the 2 groups ( P>0.05). All patients achieved osseous fusion of intervertebral space. Conclusion:Compared with traditional methods, flexion-lateral curvature-supination reduction combined with primay anterior surgery shows no significant difference in the recovery of neurological function but leads to a shorter hospital stay.

Objective:To explore the clinical effects of unilateral secondary puncture percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) in the treatment of type ⅡA acute symptomatic osteoporotic thoracolumbar fractures (ASOTLF).Methods:A retrospective case-control study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 193 patients with type ⅡA ASOTLF who had been admitted to Department of Spine Surgery, Honghui Hospital from February 2016 to October 2018. They were 71 males and 122 females, aged from 65 to 90 years [average, (73.9±4.3) years]. The segments injured were T10 in 21 cases, T11 in 27 cases, T12 in 44 cases, L1 in 48 cases, L2 in 29 cases, L3 in 14 cases, and L4 in 10 cases. Of them, 85 received unilateral secondary puncture PVP (observation group) and 108 did not (control group). The clinical effects were evaluated by comparing between the 2 groups the operation time, bone cement injection volume, intraoperative blood loss, hospital stay, and visual analogue scale (VAS) for back pain, spinal Oswestry disability index (ODI), anterior height of the injured vertebral body (AH) and kyphosis angle (KA) of the injured vertebra before operation, at 3 days after operation and the last follow-up. The bone cement leakage and fracture of adjacent vertebral body were observed.Results:All patients were followed up for 12 to 24 months (average, 15.8 months). There was no significant difference in the preoperative general data between the 2 groups, showing they were comparable ( P>0.05). The operation time and bone cement injection volume [(36.2±1.4) min and (5.5±0.7) mL] in the observation group were significantly longer or more than those in the control group [(32.3±1.7) min and (4.0±0.7) mL] ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the hospital stay or intraoperative blood loss between the 2 groups ( P>0.05). The VAS, ODI, AH and KA at 3 days after operation and the last follow-up were significantly improved compared with those before operation in both groups ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in VAS, ODI, AH or KA between the 2 groups before operation or at 3 days after operation ( P>0.05). However, the VAS, ODI, AH and KA at the last follow-up in the observation group [(2.2±0.8) points, 19.2%±5.8%, (2.90±0.21) cm, and 12.2°±1.5°] were better than those in the control group [(3.1±0.9) points, 22.8%±5.3%, (2.41±0.15) cm, and 13.3°±1.2°]. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups in the incidence of postoperative bone cement leakage or that of adjacent vertebral fracture ( P>0.05). Conclusions:In the treatment of type ⅡA ASOTLF, unilateral secondary puncture PVP can result in satisfactory clinical effects, because it effectively promotes dispersion of bone cement and prevents re-collapse of the vertebra operated but does not increase the risks of bone cement leakage and adjacent vertebral fracture.