ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate clinical effects and advantages of Wiltse paraspinal approach to thoracolumbar burst fractures.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From June 2008 to June 2010, the data of 53 patients with thoracolumbar burst fractures with no obviously nerve injury were retrospectively analyzed, including 43 males and 10 females with an average age of 41 years ( ranged, 19 to 62 years). For segmental distribution, 6 cases were T11, 11 cases were T12, 22 cases were L1 and 14 cases were L2. Among them, 28 cases were treated with Wiltse paraspinal approach, and 25 cases with postmiddle approach. The operation time, blood loss, postoperative drainage,VAS score of back, Cobb angle of injured cord, changes of collapse of vertebral and median sagittal diameter of injured vertebral were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with two methods, there were advantages in improving operation time, blood loss, postoperative drainage and VAS score of back, but there were no significant differences in improving Cobb angle of injuried cord, changes of collapse of vertebral and median sagittal diameter of injuried vertebral.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Wiltse paraspinal approach to thoracolumbar burst fractures can achieve the same reduction with postmiddle approach,and has advantages of minimally invasive, less blood, simple operation and rapid recovery, and worth popularizing.</p>