title: Single screw-rod anterior instrumentation for thoracolumbar burst fractures with incomplete neurological deficit.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the outcome of single screwrod anterior instrumentation for thoracolumbar burst fractures with incomplete neurological deficit.
  
  
  METHODS
  16 men and 5 women aged 22 to 55 (mean, 34) years underwent single screw-rod anterior instrumentation for thoracolumbar burst fractures with incomplete neurological deficit. The vertebrae involved were T10 (n=2), T11 (n=2), T12 (n=7), L1 (n=8), and L2 (n=2). No patient had disruption of the posterior ligament complex. Postoperatively, a thoracolumbar sacral orthosis was used until solid fusion. Outcome measures included neurological recovery, degree of kyphosis, complications, and pain and functional status of the patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean follow-up duration was 36 (range, 13-50) months. All patients recovered neurologically by at least one grade. Of the 21 patients, 6 improved from grade B to grade C (n=4) or grade D (n=2), 13 from grade C to grade D, and 2 from grade D to grade E. The mean degree of kyphosis improved from 23º ± 5º to 7º ± 3º. Seven patients had complications including ipsilateral basal atelectasis (n=3), urinary tract infection (n=1), haematuria (n=1), postoperative ileus (n=1), and superficial wound infection (n=1). None had iatrogenic visceral or vascular injury, pseudoarthrosis or hardware-related complications. Only one patient had severe back pain persistently.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Single screw-rod anterior instrumentation supplemented with an orthosis can be an alternative for double screw-rod anterior instrumentation for thoracolumbar burst fractures in patients with smaller vertebral bodies.
authors: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Government Medical College and Associated Hospitals, Jammu, India. sids82@gmail.com
authors: Siddhartha
authors: S
authors: Sharma
authors: Dara
authors: D
authors: Singh
authors: Manjeet
authors: M
authors: Singh
authors: Arvind
authors: A
authors: Kohli
authors: Gurjit
authors: G
authors: Singh
authors: Mohit
authors: M
authors: Arora
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001863:Bone Screws; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000209:etiology*; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: instrumentation; spinal fractures; spinal fusion