Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-24-2024

Comments

This article is the author's final published version in the Journal of Craniovertebral Junction and Spine, Volume 15, Issue 2, Apr - Jun 2024, Pg. 196 - 204.

The published version is available at https://doi.org/10.4103/jcvjs.jcvjs_17_24. Copyright © 2024 Journal of Craniovertebral Junction and Spine | Published by Wolters Kluwer ‑ Medknow.

Abstract

Objectives:

The purpose of this study is to identify if construct length affects the rate of surgical complications and instrumentation revision following surgical fixation of subaxial and thoracolumbar Type B and C fractures. This study evaluates the effect of ankylosing spondylitis/diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (AS/DISH) within this population on outcomes.

Methods:

Retrospective review of 91 cervical and 89 thoracolumbar Type B and C fractures. Groups were divided by construct length for analysis: short-segment (constructs spanning two or less segments adjacent to the fracture) and long-segment (constructs spanning more than two segments adjacent to the vertebral fracture).

Results:

For cervical fractures, construct length did not impact surgical complications (P = 0.641), surgical hardware revision (P = 0.167), or kyphotic change (P = 0.994). For thoracolumbar fractures, construct length did not impact surgical complications (P = 0.508), surgical hardware revision (P = 0.224), and kyphotic change (P = 0.278). Cervical Type B fractures were nonsignificantly more likely to have worsened kyphosis (P = 0.058) than Type C fractures. Assessing all regions of the spine, a diagnosis of AS/DISH was associated with an increase in kyphosis (P = 0.030) and a diagnosis of osteoporosis was associated with surgical hardware failure (P = 0.006).

Conclusion:

Patients with short-segment instrumentation have similar surgical outcomes and changes in kyphosis compared to those with long-segment instrumentation. A diagnosis of AS/DISH or osteoporosis was associated with worse surgical outcomes.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

Language

English

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