Zhonghua wai ke za zhi [Chinese journal of surgery]
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Zhonghua Wai Ke Za Zhi · Feb 2012
[The effect of Topping-off surgery on preventing adjacent segment degeneration, a retrospective study].
To investigate the early-middle stage clinical results of Topping-off surgery in preventing adjacent segment degeneration when mild or moderate adjacent segment degeneration exists before surgery. ⋯ Compared with single segmental PLIF surgery, Topping-off surgery can achieve similar symptomatic improvement in cases with pre-existing mild or moderate adjacent segment degeneration, restrict the adjacent segment's range of motion in extension and prevent excessive olisthesis of adjacent segment in both extension and flexion. Topping-off surgery has a potential effect of preventing adjacent segmental degeneration.