Abstract :
Earlier, in the beginning of 20th Century, orthopedic spinal disorders would be the candidates for conservative management. These patients often lost the best chances for neurological and functional recovery and suffered long term morbidity. Various methods of operative intervention are used. Out of all methods, anterior decompression and reconstruction with or without stabilization is the most attractive modality from orthopedic and rehabilitation point of view. The purpose of this study is to show the role of anterior decompression and reconstruction of the spine using cage graft with or without instrumentation. 22 patients are included in this study with mean follow up of 24 months. Outcome measures for the study were: Denis Pain Scale, Denis Work Scale, and Bridwell Grading System of fusion. Spinal injuries are more common in males while tuberculous and degenerative spinal disease are common in females. Most of the spinal injuries are concentrated over D-L region while tuberculosis in dorsal spine. Cervical & Lumbar spines are prone to degenerative changes. Outcomes with Denis pain scale suggested that maximum pain was seen in patients with traumatic and degenerative spine, with Denis Work Scale suggested that out of 22, 10 were totally disabled, 7 were cases of traumatic paraplegia whereas 3 were of tuberculous spine and of Bridwell grading system of fusion showed that out of 22 patients 9(40%) had definite fusion status which was primarily assessed by plain radiograph. Hence, in spinal injuries, earlier decompression with rigid reconstruction of spine especially anterior spine fusion achieve good results in terms of neurological recovery pain free rehabilitation and functional recovery.
Keyword :
Anterior decompression, Cage graft, Reconstruction of spine.