European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society
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Review Meta Analysis
Anterior versus posterior approach for treatment of thoracolumbar burst fractures: a meta-analysis.
To critically review and summarize the literature comparing the results of surgery via an anterior approach and that via a posterior approach for the treatment of thoracolumbar burst fractures to identify the better approach. ⋯ The posterior approach may be more effective than the anterior approach. However, more high-quality, randomized controlled trials are required to compare these approaches and guide clinical decision-making. Level of Evidence Level II, therapeutic study. See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of level of evidence.
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The optimal timing of stabilization in patients with traumatic thoracolumbar fractures remains controversial. There is currently a lack of consensus on the timing of surgical stabilization, which is limited by the reality that a randomized controlled trial to evaluate early versus late stabilization is difficult to perform. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the benefits, safety and costs of early stabilization compared with late stabilization using data available in the current literature. ⋯ We could adhere to the recommendation that patients with traumatic thoracolumbar fractures should undergo early stabilization, which may reduce the hospital length of stay, intensive care unit length of stay, ventilator days, morbidity and hospital expenses, particularly when the thoracic spine is involved. Individual patient characteristics should be concerned carefully. However, the definite conclusion cannot be made due to the heterogeneity of the included studies and low level of evidence. Further prospective studies are required to confirm whether there are benefits to early stabilization compared with late stabilization.