Introduction: To evaluate the effectiveness of percutaneous image-guided vertebral body stenting (VBS) at restoring vertebral height in acute, stable, traumatic thoracolumbar fractures in a young, non-osteoporotic population.
Materials and methods: A single-centre retrospective review of all traumatic non-osteoporotic fractures treated with VBS between 2010 and 2017 was performed. Inclusion criteria included patients with recent (< 10 days), symptomatic and stable thoracolumbar compression fractures. Patients with low-energy fractures, osteoporosis and age > 60/50 years (male/female) were excluded. Primary outcomes included: correction of vertebral height, correction of kyphosis angle and Beck Index on reconstructed pre- and post-procedural CBCT images. Secondary outcomes included intra-procedural stent recoil, complications, cement leakage and factors predicting height restoration.
Results: Thirty-nine patients (26 men, 13 women; mean age 33.6 years, range 15-57 years) underwent VBS 5 days post-trauma on average (range 1-10), for stable compression fractures located between T5 and L5. Mean vertebral height gain, vertebral kyphosis angle correction and Beck index improvement were 3.8 mm (95% CI 3.36-4.50; P(> 3 mm) = 99.9%), 4.3° (95% CI 3.50-5.20; P(> 3°) = 99.9%) and 0.07 [95% CI 0.053-0.11], respectively (all statistically significant). Technical success was 92%, with 3 "major" stent recoils resulting in loss of vertebral height correction. No symptomatic complications were observed. No predictive factors for procedural success were identified.
Conclusion: VBS can significantly restore vertebral height in young patients with traumatic vertebral compression fractures.
Keywords: Compression fractures; Stentoplasty; Vertebral body stenting; Vertebroplasty.