Highlights
- •A rare case of L5 vertebral fracture occurred after pedicle screw removal from PLIF.
- •Posterolateral fusion surgery and vertebroplasty were used to correct the fracture.
- •Possible reasons for the fracture include decreased vertebral mass.
- •PLIF at the adjacent segment may have increased mechanical stress.
- •Stress-shielding-related osteopenia and age-related osteoporosis may be involved.
Abstract
It is uncommon to remove pedicle screws after posterolateral lumbar interbody fusion
(PLIF), and there are a few case reports of vertebral fracture involving holes remaining
after screw removal. We report a case of the vertebral fracture after removing pedicle
screws instrumented for PLIF. A 66-year-old woman with osteopenia, who underwent PLIF
at L4–S1 10 years earlier, underwent PLIF at L3–L4 to correct adjacent-segment degeneration.
We removed L5 and S1 pedicle screws, and inserted L3 pedicle screws. After surgery,
she presented with severe progressive low back pain. Computed tomography (CT) and
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an L5 body fracture involving the pedicle
screw holes. Revision surgery, including posterolateral fusion from L3 to S2 alar
iliac and L5 vertebroplasty, was performed. One year after the revision surgery, the
patient remained pain-free and returned to normal activity. Possible reasons for instrumented
vertebral body fracture after pedicle screw removal are decrease of vertebral mass,
increased mechanical stress caused by PLIF at the adjacent segment, stress-shielding-related
osteopenia, and spinal imbalance. Vertebral body fractures associated with spinal
implant removal are rare, but possible, especially in elderly patients with osteopenia
and osteoporosis.
Keywords
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Journal of Clinical NeuroscienceAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Vertebral body compression fracture after removal of pedicle screws: a report of two cases.Eur Spine J. 2002; 11: 504-506
- Vertebral compression fracture in the middle of fused segments without a history of injury: a case report.Spine. 2010; 35: E137-E139
- Vertebral compression fracture within a solid fusion mass without trauma after removal of pedicle screws.Spine J. 2016; 16: e219-e223
- Outcomes after minimally invasive lumbar decompression: a biomechanical comparison of unilateral and bilateral laminotomies.BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2015; 16: 208https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-015-0659-2
- Spine fractures in patients with ankylosing spinal disorders.Spine. 2010; 35: E458-E464
- Lumbar chance fracture after direct anterior total hip arthroplasty.Arthoplast Today. 2017; 3: 247-250
- Vertebral body osteopenia associated with posterolateral spine fusion in humans.Spine. 1996; 21: 2368-2371
Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 19, 2018
Accepted:
April 9,
2018
Received:
February 13,
2018
Identification
Copyright
© 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
