Choice of operative methods for kyphosis deformity of ankylosing spondylitis complicated with cervical vertebral fracture / 中华创伤杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the different operation methods for kyphosis deformity of ankylosing spondylitis(AS)complicated with cervical vertebral fracture and their effects.Methods A retrospective case series study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 19 patients with AS kyphosis complicated with cervical vertebral fracture admitted to Henan People's Hospital from April 2007 lo October 2017.There were 18 males and one female,aged 28-73 years,with an average age of 38.6 years.Among the patients,17 were complicated with spinal cord dysfunction.According to the American spinal injury association(ASIA)classification,there were four patients with grade A,five with grade B,five with grade C and three with grade D.According to the degree of nerve injury and the displacement of fracture,reduction and fixation or orthopedic fixation were selected;14 patients with severe nerve injury(ASIA grades A-C)were treated with reduction and fixation,of which six were treated by simple anterior approach,two by simple posterior approach,five by combined anterior-posterior approach,and one by combined anterior-posterior approach 2 months after Halo fixation.Five patients with ASIA grade D or E were treated with orthopedic fixation.Firstly,kyphosis was corrected with manual technique and the Halo external fixator was installed,and then surgical fixation fusion was performed via simple posterior approach(one patient)or combined anterior-posterior approach(four patients).Visual analogue scale(VAS)was used to evaluate the relief of neck pain.The improvement of nerve function,the effect of orthopedic fixation,the fracture healing time and the postoperative complications were recorded.Results One patient died 11 days after operation due to pulmonary infection and respiratory failure.The remaining patients were followed up for 1-10 years,with an average of 27.3 months.The neck pain in all patients was relieved significantly,and the VAS score[(2.9±0.9)points]decreased significantly 3 days after operation compared with that before operation[(8.2±1.0)points](P＜ 0.05).The nerve function of 12 patients improved significantly(P＜ 0.05).The chin-brow vertical angle of the patients after orthopedic fixation was 60-180(mean,11.8°),suggesting that the level vision function was restored.Fracture healing time ranged from 3 to 8 months,with an average of 3.9 months.There were 4 patients with cerebrospinal fluid leakage and three patients with pulmonary infection.No complications such as wound infection and aggravation of nerve injury occurred.Conclusions For AS kyphosis combined with cervical spine fracture,if without severe nerve injury,manual correction of kyphosis and installation of Halo frame followed by fixation and fusion can effectively correct spinal deformity and improve the quality of life.Patients with severe spinal cord injury should avoid stage I correction and receive reduction of fracture and long segment fusion fixation as far as possible to facilitate the recovery of nerve function.