Mohammad Arif, Mohammad Inam, Abdul Satar, Mohammad Saeed, Mohammad Shabir.
Management of thoracolumbar spinal fractures by pedicular screws and rods.
Gomal J Med Sci Jan ;7(2):109-13.

Background: There are different ways of management of spinal injuries including operative and non-operative. Operative management is indicated to minimize pain, stabilize spine, correcting and preventing subsequent spinal deformity, early mobilization, reduction of morbidity and improvement in neurological function. This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of posterior spinal fixation of thoracolumbar spine. Material & Methods: Seventy six patients with thoracolumbar spine fracture were managed surgically in Orthopedic Department of Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar from December 2003 to November 2007 by posterior spinal fixation with pedicular screws and rods. Results: Out of seventy-six patients 36 had road traffic accident, 28 had a fall from a height and 12 were hit by a heavy falling object. Preoperative kyphosis was 27°averaged and postoperative was 7° averaged. The sagittal index was 26° averaged and postoperative was 12° averaged. More than half of the patients had no pain one year after surgery, while two (2.6%) had moderate to severe pain. Forty (52.6%) patients returned to the job they held before the fracture while ten (13.1%) were not able to do work. Complications observed were; Infection in eight (10.5 %) patients, pull out of upper screws in one patient, pull out of rod from screws in one patient and deep vein thrombosis in another one patient. Conclusion: Posterior spinal fixation by pedicular screws gives rigid fixation with excellent result which enables patients to resume daily activities early.

PakMediNet -Pakistan's largest Database of Pakistani Medical Journals - http://www.pakmedinet.com