Research Article: Effects of Percutaneous Kyphoplasty for the Treatment of Thoracic Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fractures with or without Intravertebral Cleft in Elderly Patients
Abstract:
Aging populations worldwide have raised concerns about osteoporosis and osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs), and the incidence of OVCFs continues to increase as the elderly population increases. OVCFs are known to affect quality of life and mortality by causing persistent pain, kyphosis, and mobility limitation. In , Galibert introduced vertebroplasty, in which medical bone cement (polymethyl methacrylate) is injected into a fractured vertebra. Subsequently, the utilization of this technique has become widespread in minimally invasive surgery for osteoporotic vertebral fractures due to its capacity to promptly alleviate pain and facilitate early recuperation. OVCFs often frequently manifest in the thoracolumbar spine; however, the thoracic vertebra exhibits distinctive characteristics in comparison to the lumbar vertebra, including steep and diminutive pedicles, a reduced angle between the pedicle and the vertebral body, and a narrower anterior margin of the vertebral body. In response to these characteristics of thoracic vertebrae, PKP for thoracic vertebra is more risky and more difficult to puncture. Vertebrae above T are often operated on with the extrapedicular approach, which is different from the transpedicular approach of lumbar vertebrae. Consequently, it is imperative to differentiate between thoracic osteoporotic compression fractures and lumbar osteoporotic compression fractures.
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