Mid-term results of PLIF/TLIF in trauma

Abstract

Treatment of thoracolumbar fractures is still controversial. Several treatment options are reported to yield satisfactory results. There is no evidence indicating superiority of any treatment option. We have already presented radiological results of the use of PLIF/TLIF in trauma, which showed satisfactory results concerning intervertebral fusion and acceptable loss of correction. We examined 50 patients regarding loss of correction after implant removal and clinical outcome using a validated visual analogue score. The average time of follow-up (FU) was 35 months. We observed a total loss of correction of 4°. The pre-injury mean VAS score was 92. At FU, there was an average reduction of 17.2 points. Owing to the presented results, we suggest this method as an alternative to combined procedures. © Springer-Verlag 2010.