{
  "abstract": "Background\n\nThis study aimed to quantify radiographic correction and long-term maintenance, assess pain and health-related quality of life, and identify factors associated with outcomes after standardized posterior long-segment fixation for neurologically intact traumatic thoracolumbar junction fractures.Methods\n\nThis single-center retrospective cohort study included consecutive adults with acute traumatic T11-L2 fractures treated between March 2014 and February 2023 with posterior long-segment pedicle screw instrumentation (two levels above and two levels below, including fracture-level screws) without decompression. Patients required at least 24 months of radiographic follow-up, available pre-operative sagittal computed tomography images, and early post-operative and final lateral radiographs. Imaging parameters were vertebral compression angle (VCA) and anterior/posterior vertebral corpus height. Clinical outcomes were final Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and 36-item short form health survey (SF-36) scores, which were assessed cross-sectionally at final follow-up and therefore reflect final health status rather than change from pre-operative levels. Paired comparisons were used for longitudinal imaging changes, and multivariable linear regression with robust standard errors was used to evaluate factors associated with final outcomes.Results\n\nSeventy-eight patients were included (mean age 40.2±13.9 years; 65.4% male), with a median follow-up of 48 months. VCA changed from 11.75° (7.83-16.48) preoperatively to 4.30° (2.55-6.65) early postoperatively and was 6.00° (4.00-8.80) at final follow-up, indicating limited correction loss over time. Restoration of both anterior and posterior vertebral body heights was observed, with partial loss at final follow-up. Final pain levels were low (VAS 1 [interquartile range=1-1]). In adjusted analyses, AO fracture type was associated with greater VCA loss and poorer SF-36 scores across several domains, particularly for AO type C fractures. However, the number of type C fractures was limited (n=9). Superficial wound infection occurred in 5 patients (6.4%) and resolved with local care and antibiotics; no deep infection, implant failure, revision surgery, or junctional complications were observed.Conclusion\n\nPosterior long-segment fixation for neurologically intact T11-L2 fractures provided substantial early radiographic correction with generally limited long-term loss of alignment and low final pain levels. Nevertheless, radiographic correction did not necessarily translate into complete functional recovery, as reflected by persistent variability in SF-36 domains. Among the variables analyzed, AO fracture type showed the most consistent association with correction loss and patient-reported outcomes. These hypothesis-generating findings suggest that fracture morphology may be associated with outcomes and may help frame post-operative expectations and follow-up discussions in similar patient populations. However, confirmation in larger, prospective, and comparative studies is required.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Izmir City Hospital, İzmir-Türkiye.",
    "Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, İzmir-Türkiye."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 2,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Onur Suer"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Anıl Murat Ozturk"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fk17hvqyh57nk.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.14744/tjtes.2026.98448",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13678150",
  "id": "fk17hvqyh57nk",
  "issns": [
    "1306-696X",
    "1307-7945"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42841899",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2746|Spinal Fractures and Fixation Techniques"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7220653829",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13678150?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13678150",
  "pmid": "42841899",
  "published": "2026-10-01",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fk17hvqyh57nk.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:10Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42841899",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42841899"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2746|Spinal Fractures and Fixation Techniques",
      "subfield": "surgery"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Factors associated with radiographic and clinical outcomes after posterior long-segment instrumentation for neurologically intact thoracolumbar fractures: a single-center retrospective study.",
  "title_text": "Factors associated with radiographic and clinical outcomes after posterior long-segment instrumentation for neurologically intact thoracolumbar fractures: a single-center retrospective study.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:10Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fk17hvqyh57nk",
  "venue": "Ulusal travma ve acil cerrahi dergisi = Turkish journal of trauma & emergency surgery : TJTES",
  "versions": []
}