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Researchers validate use of short-segment percutaneous screw instrumentation to treat thoracolumbar fractures
Patients who underwent surgery for certain thoracolumbar fractures using a transpedicular screw technique experienced less surgical time, blood loss and postoperative pain when compared to traditional open surgery, according to researchers who conducted this study.
“According to the results presented here, we can confirm that the percutaneous transpedicular screw technique represents a viable option in the treatment of preselected thoracolumbar fractures,” Petr Vanek, MD, and colleagues wrote in the study.
The researchers prospectively enrolled 37 patients in the study, in which 18 patients underwent surgery with minimally invasive, percutaneous pedicle screw instrumentation and were compared to a control group of 19 patients in whom standard open surgery was performed, according to the abstract.
Operative time in the percutaneous transpedicular screw group was 53 minutes ± 10 minutes, compared with 60 minutes ± 9 minutes in the control group. Blood loss in the screw group was 56 ml ± 17 ml compared with 331 ml ± 149 ml in the control group. In addition, VAS scores in the first postoperative week were significantly lower in the screw group compared to the control group, based on the abstract.
Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial disclosures.