Laurent Huwart

Objectives The purpose of our study was to evaluate the technical feasibility of the combination involving percutaneous screw fixation and vertebroplasty in split fractures of thoracolumbar spine. Methods Institutional review board approval and informed consent were obtained. Ten consecutive adult patients who had posttraumatic vertebral split fractures (Magerl A2) were prospectively treated by an interventional radiologist under computed tomography and fluoroscopy guidance. Using a bilateral route under local anesthesia, one 4.0-mm cannulated screw was placed on one side to fix the fracture, and on the other side, vertebroplasty was performed. Follow-up ranging from 12 to 24 months was assessed using visual analog scale (VAS) and Oswestry disability index (ODI) Results Combined procedures were performed on thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, creating both osteosynthesis and cement bridge between the displaced fragment and the rest of the vertebral body. Mean VAS measurements ± standard deviation (SD) decreased from 7.5 ± 1.5 preoperatively to 3.2 ± 1.9 at 1 day, 2.1 ± 1.2 at 1 month, and 1.9 ± 1.4 at the last examination (P < 0.001). Mean ODI scores ± SD decreased from 65.3 ± 16.2, preoperatively, to 16.1 ± 5.0 at the final examination (P < 0.001). Conclusions This study suggests that type A2 vertebral fractures could be successfully stabilized by the combination of percutaneous osteosynthesis and vertebroplasty.

We present a case of percutaneous fixation of a “carrot-stick” spinal fracture in an elderly patient with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). A surgical stabilization was not possible in this 83-year-old man with comorbidities. Under local anesthesia, percutaneous screw fixation of a transdiscal shear fracture at the level T10-T11 was performed using computed tomography (CT) and fluoroscopy guidance. Two 4.0-mm Asnis III cannulated screws were placed to fix facet joints using transfacet pedicle pathway. The procedure time was 30 min. Using the visual analog scale (VAS), pain decreased from 10, preoperatively, to 1 after the procedure. Radiographic fusion was observed at a 3-month post-procedural CT scan. CT- and fluoroscopy-guided percutaneous screw fixation of spinal fractures could potentially be an alternative to surgery in elderly AS patients with poor performance status.