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Posterior Thoracolumbar Fixation: Overview of Implants and Surgical Techniques

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Abstract

Numerous implants have been designed for the fixation of thoracic vertebrae. As achieving fusion is the primary goal of all spine stabilization surgery, the use of implants does not substitute bone grafting. There are many types of fixation systems (screws, hooks, wires, plates, rods, and flexible bands), allowing different functions (bridge fixation, buttressing, rotation, compression, distraction, tension banding, etc.). Making the correct choice between all these devices depends largely on the surgeon’s familiarity with the different techniques, his technical skills, the quality of the bone, the pathology, the direction and the degree of instability, the expected level of loading, the availability of implants, the need of postoperative immobilization, and the time required for tissue healing not one system has been proven to be superior with respect to the others. Some of the current implant systems combine added and improved functions to the implementation of many kinds of forces, such as compression, distraction, translation, derotation, cantilever handling, and tension band, in the same system. The objectives of this chapter are to discuss the different implants and the different surgical techniques for the treatment of many thoracic spinal disorders.

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Correspondence to Paulo Tadeu Maia Cavali MD .

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Cavali, P.T.M. (2016). Posterior Thoracolumbar Fixation: Overview of Implants and Surgical Techniques. In: van de Kelft, E. (eds) Surgery of the Spine and Spinal Cord. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27613-7_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27613-7_16

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-27611-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-27613-7

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