关键词: 胸腰椎骨折； ,  , 椎体空洞； ,  , 伤椎置钉

Abstract: Objective   To observe the vertebral body healing pattern after posterior short-segmental fixation for thoracolumbar and lumbar burst fractures, and to analyze the risk factors and clinical effect of vertebral cavity.    Methods    Fifty-two patients with posterior short-segmental fixation for thoracolumbar burst fracture were followed up for at least 2 years. The CT results of the last follow-up were analyzed to observe the morphological characteristics of the cavity in the vertebral body. The patients with and without obvious cavities in the vertebral body were divided into two groups. The clinical and imaging characteristics of the two groups were compared, and the risk factors leading to the cavities were analyzed to observe whether the vertebral cavity affects the clinical efficacy or not.    Results    There were 12 cases of complete healing of vertebral body (accounting for 23.1%) and 40 cases of cavity (accounting for 76.9%). The shape of the cavity in the vertebral body could be divided into the following types: small cavity in the endplate (n=9, accounting for 22.5%),  large cavity in the vertebral body (n=19, accounting for 47.5%), and  split in the vertebral body (n =12, accounting for 30%). The proportion of males in the vertebral cavity group was higher, and the spinal cord nerve injury was more serious. An average follow-up of 37.8 months after surgery showed that the two groups of patients had good back pain and lumbar function, and there was no statistical difference in the VAS and ODI scores between the two groups.   Conclusions    Vertebral cavities are commonly seen after posterior short-segmental fixation for thoracolumbar and lumbar burst fractures. The higher degree of fracture rupture, the easier to cause the vertebral cavity. The large degree of the vertebral body anterior edge reduction after the operation of screw placement is an important cause of the cavity.  Presence of a cavity in the vertebral body does not affect the patient’s lumbar pain and function in the short term. 

Key words:  Thoracolumbar fracture; ,  , Vertebral cavity; ,  , Injured vertebral screw placement