• Guodong Zhang, Jianyi Li, Li Zhang, Jie Song, Jiale Shao, Changlin Lv, Tianyu Bai, Yukun Du, and Yongming Xi.
• Department of Spinal Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China.
• Spine. 2024 Aug 1; 49 (15): E229E238E229-E238.

Study DesignFinite element analysis.ObjectiveTo investigate the biomechanical effect of four posterior fixation techniques on stability and adjacent segment degeneration in treating thoracolumbar burst fractures with osteoporosis.Summary Of Background DataIn terms of stability and adjacent segment degeneration, there remains no consensus or guidelines on the optimal technique for the treatment of thoracolumbar burst fractures in patients with osteoporosis.Materials And MethodsImages of CT scans were imported into MIMICS and further processed by Geomagic to build three-dimensional models of the T10-L5 region. A v-shaped osteotomy was performed on the L1 vertebral body to simulate a burst fracture in the setting of osteoporosis. Subsequently, four fixation techniques were designed using SolidWorks software. Range of motion (ROM) of the global spine, ROM distribution, ROM of adjacent segment, Von Mises stress on adjacent intervertebral disks, and facet joints were analyzed.ResultsAmong the four groups, the cortical bone screw fixation (CBT) showed the highest global ROM at 1.86°, while long-segmented pedicle screw fixation (LSPS) had the lowest global ROM at 1.25°. The LSPS had the smallest percentage of ROM of fractured vertebral body to fixed segment at 75.04%, suggesting the highest stability after fixation. The maximum ROM of the adjacent segment was observed in the CBT at 1.32°, while the LSPS exhibited the smallest at 0.89°. However, the LSPS group experienced larger maximum stress on the adjacent intervertebral disks (9.60 MPa) and facet joints (3.36 MPa), indicating an increasing risk of adjacent segment disease.ConclusionLSPS provided the greatest stability, while CBT provided the smallest amount of stability. However, the elevated stress on adjacent intervertebral disks and facet joints after LSPS fixation increased the possibility of adjacent segment degeneration. Cement-augmented pedicle screw fixation (CAPS) and combined cortical bone screw and pedicle screw fixation (CBT-PS) demonstrated significant biomechanical advantages in providing moderate fixation strength while reducing stress on the intervertebral disks and facet joints.Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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