This study compared the clinical and radiological results between two groups of patients with percutaneous fixation or conventional fixation after hardware removal. Materials and Methods: The study analyzed 68 patients (43 open fixation and 43 percutaneous screw fixation [PSF] 25) who had undergone fixation for unstable thoracolumbar fractures. The radiologic results were obtained using the lateral radiographs taken before and after the fixation and at the time of hardware removal. The clinical results included the time of operation, blood loss, time to ambulation, duration of the hospital stay and the visual analogue scale. Results: The percutaneous pedicle screw fixation (PPSF) group showed better results than did the conventional posterior fixation (CPF) group (p<0.05) in regard to the perioperative data such as operation time, blood loss, and duration of the hospital stay. There were no significant differences in wedge angle, local kyphotic angle, and the ΔKyphotic angle on the postoperative plane radiographs between the two groups (p>0.05). There were no significant differences in the wedge angle and local kyphotic angle after implant removal (p>0.05) between the two groups as well. However, there were significant differences in the segmental montion angle (p<0.001), and the PPSF group showed a larger segmental motion angle than did the CPF group (CPF 1.7°±1.2° vs PPSF 5.9°±3.2°, respectively). Conclusion: For the treatment of unstable thoracolumbar fractures, the PPSF technique could achieve better clinical results and an improved segmental motion angle after implant removal within a year than that of the conventional fixation method.

medicaBackground:Ultrasound (US)-guided techniques reported for the treatment of calcific tendinitis have mostly demonstrated good results. This study investigates the effect of US-guided barbotage using a spinal needle in patients with calcific tendinitis of the shoulder.Methods: Thirty-six patients with calcific tendinitis of the shoulder treated by US-guided barbotage with a spinal needle and subacromial steroid injection were included in the study. We evaluated clinical outcomes based on American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, Constant score, and visual analog scale (VAS) for pain score. Radiological outcomes were assessed by X-ray imaging at each visit.Results: Our results showed that US-guided barbotage and subacromial steroid injection produced good clinical and radiological outcomes in patients with calcific tendinitis of the shoulder. Of the 36 patients, only one required surgical treatment, while the others showed improvement without any complications. Compared to values before the procedure, calcific deposit size and VAS, ASES, and Constant scores showed significant improvement 6 weeks after the procedure. No significant correlation was found between the initial calcific deposit size and clinical outcomes at each time point.Conclusions: In patients with calcific tendinitis of the shoulder, US-guided barbotage using a spinal needle and subacromial steroid injection can yield satisfactory clinical and radiological results.