Comparison of an intravertebral reduction device and percutaneous vertebroplasty for anatomical reduction with single-level vertebral compression fractures

Background: The SpineJack, a third-generation percutaneous augmentation system, is designed to be left in the vertebral body to maintain the recovery of body height following treatment for vertebral compression fractures (VCFs). This study retrospectively compared SpineJack implantation with traditional percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) in terms of anatomic restoration in patients with single-level VCFs. Materials and Methods: Between January 2015 and December 2017, 74 patients with single-level VCFs underwent SpineJack implantations or PVP. The degree of pain relief was measured by a Visual Analog Scale score, and the vertebral kyphotic angle, Cobb's angle, the vertebral body height, and the vertebral body compression ratio (VBCR) were recorded preoperatively as well as immediately, 1 month, 3 months, and 1 year after surgery to evaluate anatomical restoration. Results: There were 42 patients in the SpineJack group and 32 patients in the PVP group. No significant difference in pain relief was observed between the two groups. The SpineJack group had better kyphotic angle (6.67° ± 4.38° vs. 9.86° ± 6.73°,P < 0.01) and Cobb's angle (12.28° ± 10.13° vs. 18.03° ± 9.66°,P < 0.01) corrections than the PVP group. The postoperative VBCR was also higher in the SpineJack group than in the PVP group (78.21% ± 19% vs. 67.05% ± 18.85%, P = 0.02). The complication rates did not differ between the groups. Conclusion: SpineJack implantation achieved better kyphosis correction and vertebral body height restoration than PVP. SpineJack implantation is safe and may not increase the risk of subsequent VCFs.