[Development and clinical application of posterior STBtrade mark thoracolumbar transpedicular screw-plate fixation system].
OBJECTIVE
To develop a posterior STBTM thoracolumbar transpedicular screw-plate system and to apply it clinically.


METHODS
A posterior STBTM thoracolumbar transpedicular screw-plate system was developed with titanium alloy (TC4, Ti64A14V) and was used, from December 1999 to July 2000, to treat 63 cases with thoracolumbar or lumbar injuries or diseases, including thoracolumbar fracture/dislocation (33 cases), lumbar spondylosis and spondylolisthesis (16 cases), lumbar spondylosis and disk protrusion (6 cases), degenerative lumbar instability (4 cases), kyphosis due to ankylosing spondylitis (2 cases), and tuberculosis of spine (2 cases).


RESULTS
The 33 cases with thoracolumbar fracture/dislocation showed perfect reduction and fixation after the operation. The height of injured vertebral bodies returned to normal. One month later, all patients with neurological deficits, except the 6 cases with neurological deficits of Frankel grade A, showed improvement by 1 approximately 3 Frankel grades. The radicular symptoms in the 26 patients with lumbar spondylolisthesis, lumbar spondylosis and disk protrusion, and degenerative lumbar instability disappeared after operation. Among those cases, complete reduction was achieved in the 7 cases with grade I spondylolisthesis and 7 out of the 9 cases with grade II spondylolisthesis, and incomplete reduction (grade I) was seen in the remaining 2 cases with grade II spondylolisthesis. Forty cases were followed up for 5 months or over in out-patient department, no complication was found.


CONCLUSIONS
The posterior STBTM thoracolumbar transpedicular screw-plate system has the advantages of biological stability, excellent reduction capacity, easiness of operation, and positive clinical effectiveness.
Jin
D
D
Department of Orthopedics, Nanfang Hospital, Guangzhou 510515, China.
Chen
J
J
Qu
D
D
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D005260:Female; D005592:Fracture Fixation / Q000379:methods*; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D004204:Joint Dislocations / Q000628:therapy*; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013128:Spinal Osteophytosis / Q000628:therapy*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries