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Updated: May 14, 2026
Modified Posterior Vertebral Column Resection for Patients with Thoracolumbar Kyphotic Deformity
Published on: September 16, 2022
Posterior-approach vertebral replacement with rectangular parallelepiped cages (PAVREC) for the treatment of
Tetsuya Suzuki1, Eiji Abe, Naohisa Miyakoshi
1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Akita Kumiai General Hospital, Akita, Japan. suzuki-te@archosp-1998.com
Study Design:
A retrospective clinical study.
Objective:
To assess the efficacy of a new spinal reconstruction technique (posterior-approach vertebral replacement with rectangular parallelepiped cages: PAVREC) for the treatment of osteoporotic late vertebral collapse with neurological deficits.
Summary Of Background Data:
Poor bone quality and medically complicated situations obfuscate precise treatment for paraplegia caused by osteoporotic vertebral collapse. Recently, posterior-approach corpectomy and replacement with a cylindrical cage have been proposed. However, postoperative cage subsidence and kyphosis progression frequently occurs.
Methods:
Surgical invasiveness, perioperative complications, and clinical and radiographic outcomes in a total of 19 consecutive patients with osteoporosis (7 men and 12 women; mean age, 75 y) who underwent PAVREC with a mean follow-up period of 45.6 months (range, 16-79 mo) were reviewed. The affected vertebral levels ranged from T12-L4. The mean bone mineral density of the femoral neck was 0.611±0.077 g/cm(2) (mean±SD).
Results:
Mean operative time was 261 minutes (range, 155-326 min). Mean blood loss was 664 mL (range, 197-1595 mL). There were no reported surgical complications. Neurological deficits evaluated with the Frankel grading score improved >1 grade after surgery in all patients. Mean preoperative visual analog scale scores for back or leg pain (7.2; range, 6-9) significantly improved after surgery (1.4; range, 0-2) (P<0.05). Local kyphosis improved from a mean of 24.6 degrees before surgery to a mean of 1.5 degrees after surgery (P< 0.05), and it was maintained at a mean of 2.5 degrees at the final follow-up. Although screw loosening, cage subsidence, and subsequent vertebral fracture were seen in several cases, no additional surgeries were needed. Solid bony fusion was confirmed in all cases.
Conclusions:
PAVREC provided a satisfactory clinical and radiologic outcome without severe complications. This procedure can be a treatment option for osteoporotic vertebral collapse and an alternative to an anterior-approach or single posterior-approach reconstruction with a cylindrical cage.
