[The clinical effect of anti-rotation reduction internal fixator on the treatment of fresh thoracolumbar spine fracture].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effect of self-designed anti-rotation reduction internal fixator (ARRIF) on treating different spine segment fracture.


METHODS
From August 1999 to March 2003, 76 patients(48 males and 28 females, aged from 22 to 59 with an average of 34.1) with thoracolumbar fracture were operatively treated by ARRIF. The follow-up period ranged from 6 to 21 months (15 months in average). Classification according to injury segment: flexion compression fracture 27 cases, burst fracture 42 cases, flexion distraction injury 3 cases, flexion revolving type fracture dislocation 2 cases, shear force type dislocation 2 cases. Classification according Frankel's grade: A grade 16 cases, B grade 15 cases, C grade 27 cases, D grade 10 cases, E grade 8 cases. Operation duration, volume of bleeding, incidence post-operation complication and effect of reduction-fixation were observed.


RESULTS
The operation duration of ARRIF was 1.2 h in average, and there was about 200 ml volume of bleeding during operation. The nerve function showed one Frankel's grade improvement after operation were as follows: A grade 8 cases (50%), B grade 11 cases (73.3%), C grade 20 cases (74.1%), D grade 3 cases (30%); 2 Frankel's E cases have no nerve function changes. The nerve function damage have no aggravation in all the patients, the postoperation Cobb's angle was averagely corrected 22 degrees. The horizontal displacement of dislocation vertebrae was averagely corrected 28% in sagittal plane, the statistical analysis had significant variance (P < 0.01). ARRIF had no complications of the breakage of screws and rods.


CONCLUSIONS
ARRIF proves to be a valid internal fixator in reducing and fixing different thoracic lumbar segment spine fracture.
Pan
Xianming
X
Department of Orthopaedics, Chengdu Army General Hospital, Chengdu Sichuan 610083, PR China. panxianming@medmail.com
Quan
Yi
Y
Tan
Yingjun
Y
Zhang
Bo
B
Wang
Yuanshan
Y
Huang
Tong
T
Ma
Zehui
Z
Liao
Dongfa
D
Li
Ting
T
Liu
Jinbiao
J
D000328:Adult; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016268:Internal Fixators; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult