Treatment results in different surgical approaches for intraspinal tumor in 51 patients

To investigate the treatment results for the different surgical approaches for intraspinal tumor in lumbar spine. We retrospectively reviewed data for 51 patients with intraspinal tumors who were treated with surgery. We used the navigation system (group A) or traditional method (group B) to guide the surgery. Through the comparison of group A (22 patients) and group B (29 patients), we found some differences between the two groups, such as their total resection rate, the placement of pedicle screws, the mean operating time, intraoperative operation loss, JOA scores. In group A, the total resection rate was 95.45%. One hundred and ten pedicle screws were implanted, and no screw injured the nerve tissues or blood vessel; the placement of 94.55% of the pedicle screws was excellent. In group B, the total resection rate was 86.28%. A total of 134 pedicle screws were implanted, including five screws that injured nerve tissues or blood vessels; the placement of 87.31% of the pedicle screws was excellent. The postoperative symptoms were significantly improved in the two groups, and there were no deaths. The operation times were significantly lower in group A than in group B (P < 0.05), and the intraoperative operation loss was significantly lower in group A than in group B (P < 0.01). Additionally, the postoperative improvement in percent evaluated by Japan Orthopaedic Association (JOA) back pain evaluation questionnaire was significantly higher in group A than in group B (P < 0.05). The navigation system can provide crucial help in the treatment of spinal operation as an assisted method, which has great potential to improve the accuracy and safety.