Cervical spine fractures in osteopetrosis:a case report and review of the literature

While management of appendicular fractures has been well described in the setting of osteopetrosis, there is limited information on managing fractures of the axial spine. Here we present an osteopetrotic patient with multiple traumatic multiple, comminuted, unstable cervical spinal fractures managed with non-operative stabilization, and provide a review of the pathophysiology, genetic characteristics, and special considerations that must be explored when determining operative versus non-operative management of spinal injury in osteopetrosis. A PubMed query was performed for English articles in the literature published up to June 2016, and used the following search terms alone and in combination： ＂osteopetrosis＂, ＂spine＂, ＂fractures＂, ＂osteoclasts＂, and ＂operative management＂. Within four months after initial injury, treatment with halo vest allowed for adequate healing. The patient was asymptomatic with cervical spine dynamic radiographs confirming stability at four months. On four-year follow up examination, the patient remained without neck pain, and CT scan demonstrated partially sclerotic fracture lines with appropriate anatomical alignment. In conclusion, external halo stabilization may be an effective option for treatment of multiple unstable acute traumatic cervical spine fractures in patients with osteopetrosis. Given the challenge of surgical stabilization in osteopetrosis, further research is necessary to elucidate the optimal form of treatment in this select patient population.

Application of the Modality of Multiple Disciplinary Team for a Perioperative Patient with Suspected Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia and Cervical Spine Fracture in Nursing

With the explosive spread of novel coronavirus pneumonia, a major public major public health emergency has been declared around the world. Our country has come to a crucial stage of “external defense input, internal defense rebound” and strict quarantine measures are taken in all ports of entry throughout the country. Operations on patients with cervical spine during the quarantine, which not only increases the risk of surgical treatment, but also increases the difficulty of perioperative nursing. The objective is to explore the result of application of the modality of multiple disciplinary team for a perioperative patient with suspected novel coronavirus pneumonia and cervical spine fracture in nursing. The patient’s condition and nursing measures are studied and discussed from various specialist angle through the multidisciplinary team established by the isolation ward, orthopedics department, emergency department, anesthesiology department, operating room, rehabilitation department, psychology department and so on, and the overall and personalized surgical and nursing planning is formed through interdisciplinary advice. The nursing experience is summarized in this paper.

Clinical Effect of Posterior Internal Fixation and Fusion in the Treatment of Thoracolumbar Fractures

Objective:To evaluate the clinical effect of posterior internal fixation and fusion in the treatment of thoracolumbar fractures.Methods:36 patients with thoracolumbar fractures from January 2018 to December 2020 were selected and divided into study group and control group according to the random number table model.The control group was treated with anterior internal fixation,while the study group was treated with posterior internal fixation and fusion.The indexes of the two groups were compared and analyzed.Results:Compared with the operation related indexes of the two groups,the study group had more advantages(P<0.05);The postoperative kyphosis Cobb angle,height of anterior and posterior vertebral body,wedge index of the two groups were better than those before operation(P<0.05),and there was no significant difference between the two groups(P>0.05);There was no significant difference between the two groups(P>0.05).Conclusion:The clinical effect of posterior internal fixation and fusion in the treatment of thoracolumbar fractures is significant,and the body damage is slight,which is worthy of comprehensive promotion.

A new free-hand pedicle screw placement technique with reference to the supraspinal ligament

We sought to compare the safety and accuracy of a new free-hand pedicle screw placement technique to that of the conventional technique. One hundred fifty-three consecutive adult patients with simple fracture in the tho- racic or/and lumbar spine were alternately assigned to either the new free-hand or the conventional group. In the new free-hand technique group, preoperative computerized tomography （CT） images were used to calculate the targeted medial-lateral angle of each pedicle trajectory and the pedicle screw was inserted perpendicular to the corresponding supraspinal ligament. In the conventional technique group, the medial-lateral and cranial-caudal angle of each pedicle trajectory was determined by intraoperatively under fluoroscopic guidance. The accuracy rate of pedicle screw placement, the time of intraoperative fluoroscopy, the operating time and the amount of blood loss during operation were respectively compared. All screws were analyzed by using intraoperative ra- diographs, intraoperative triggered electromyography （EMG） monitoring data, postoperative CT data and clinical outcomes. The accuracy rate of pedicle screw placement in the new free-hand technique group and the conven- tional technique group was 96.3% and 94.2% （P 〈 0.05）, respectively. The intraoperative fluoroscopy time of the new technique group was less than that of the conventional technique group （5.37 seconds vs. 8.79 seconds, P 〈 0.05）. However, there was no statistical difference in the operating time and the amount of blood loss during op- eration （P 〉 0.05）. Pedicle screw placement with the free-hand technique which keeps the screw perpendicular to the supraspinal ligament is an accurate, reliable and safe technique to treat simple fracture in the thoracic or lum- bar spine.

Guideline for diagnosis and treatment of spine trauma in the epidemic of COVID-19

Outbreak of COVID-19 is ongoing all over the world.Spine trauma is one of the most common types of trauma and will probably be encountered during the fight against COVID-19 and resumption of work and production.Patients with unstable spine fractures or continuous deterioration of neurological function require emergency surgery.The COVID-19 epidemic has brought tremendous challenges to the diagnosis and treatment of such patients.To coordinate the diagnosis and treatment of infectious disease prevention and spine trauma so as to formulate a rigorous diagnosis and treatment plan and to reduce the disability and mortality of the disease,multidisciplinary collaboration is needed.This expert consensus is formulated in order to(1)prevent and control the epidemic,(2)diagnose and treat patients with spine trauma reasonably,and(3)reduce the risk of cross-infection between patients and medical personnel during the treatment.