The effect of pedicle screw instrumentation at a young age on upper thoracic vertebra and canal development.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Pedicle screws are widely used in spinal surgeries. Pedicle screw fixation has shown better clinical effects than other techniques by providing steady fixation from the posterior arch to the vertebral body. However, there are several concerns about the impact of pedicle screw instrumentation insertion on vertebral development in young children, including early closure of the neurocentral cartilage (NCC). The effect of pedicle screw insertion in an early age on further growth of the upper thoracic spine is still unclear.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of pedicle screw insertion on further growth of the upper thoracic vertebra and spinal canal.

STUDY

DESIGN

A retrospective case study.

PATIENT SAMPLE: Twenty-eight patients.

OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: X-ray and CT parameters including length, height and area of the vertebrae and spinal canal were manually measured.

METHODS

Twenty-eight patients who underwent pedicle screw fixation (T1-T6) before the age of 5 years from March 2005 to August 2019 at Peking Union Medical College Hospital were recruited, and records were retrospectively reviewed. Vertebral body and spinal canal parameters were measured at instrumented and adjacent noninstrumented levels and compared using statistical methods.

RESULTS

Ninety-seven segments met the inclusion criteria (average age at instrumentation 44.57 months, range from 23-60 months). Thirty-nine segments had no screws, and 58 had at least one screw. There was no significant difference between the preoperative and final follow-up values of the measurement of vertebral body parameters. No significant difference was observed between the growth rates in levels with or without screws in pedicle length, vertebral body diameter, or spinal canal parameters.

CONCLUSION

Pedicle screw instrumentation in the upper thoracic spine does not cause a negative effect on the development of the vertebral body and spinal canal in children younger than 5 years old.