The curative efficacy of posterior corpectomy combined with intervertebral bone graft in the treatment of thoracolumbar burst fracture

Objective: To explore the efficacy of posterior corpectomy combined with intervertebral bone graft in the treatment of thoracolumbar burst fracture.Methods: Nineteen patients with thoracolumbar?burst?fractures were treated with posterior corpectomy combined with intervertebral bone graft.The X-ray and 3-D CT scanning in all cases were performed at postoperative 1 week,3 months,6 months and 12 months.The intervertebral height,intervertebral strut,periphery bone graft fusion,spinal canal decompression and spinal nerve function recovery of all patients were observed.Results: The operations in 19 patients were successful,all patients were followed up for 6 to 36 months.At postoperative 1 week,no obvious displacement in strut was observed in X-ray film,and part spinal nerve function recovered.At postoperative 3 months,no space-occupying lesion and vague interspace between the strut and periphery bone graft and adjacent vertebrae were observed by X-ray film and CT scanning.At postoperative 6 and 12 months,the continuous trabeculae formations between the strut and periphery bone graft and adjacent vertebrae in 18 cases,no continuous trabeculae formations between the strut and vertebrae and periphery bone graft union in 1 case and oblique strut(the obliquity at sagittal or coronal plane was less than 10°) in 1 case were detected by X-ray film and CT scanning.The Frankel grading in 19 cases were obviously improved.Conclusions: The posterior corpectomy combined with intervertebral bone graft can completely decompress,and be conducive to the spinal nerve function recovery.The strut bone graft can be conducive to the recovery of spinal stability,and reduce the possibility of the loosening and fracture of internal fixation.