This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Preoperative teriparatide increases insertional torque of pedicle screws
Using teriparatide 1 month preoperatively can increase the insertional torque of pedicle screws during surgery in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis, study results have shown.
The study included 29 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who underwent lumbar and/or thoracic fusion surgery. Patients’ mean age was 72.2 years.
The patients were split into two groups: 16 were assigned to the control group and received no medication for osteoporosis before their surgeries, and 13 were assigned to receive teriparatide treatment before surgery. Those who received teriparatide were given the treatment as either a daily injection of 20 µg/day or a weekly injection of 56.5 µg/week for a mean of 64.1 days.
Insertional torque of the pedicle screws was measured in each patient using a calibrated torque wrench with a specially designed connector; a total of 212 screws inserted from T-7 to L-5 were measured.
Preoperative teriparatide treatment significantly affected the insertional torque of the pedicle screws during the procedure, according to the researchers. The insertional torque value in the teriparatide group was 1.28 ± 0.42 Nm, which was significantly higher than in the control group’s 1.08 ± 0.52 Nm (P < .01).
Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial disclosures.
Collapse
Inoue G. J Neurosurg Spine. 2014. doi:10.3171/2014.5.SPINE13656.