Role of brace in lumbar instable fracture after fixation with pedicular screw

Lumbar and thoracolumbar fractures are among the most common fractures of spine. Some instable fractures require fixation and TLSO brace. Nowadays, pedicular screw are more commonly applied for rapid fixation and bone fusion, thus, it seems as if brace may be used less commonly. The present study was performed to determine the role of brace in lumbar instable fracture after fixation with pedicular screw in Loghman hospital. For this clinical trial patients were assigned in 2 groups of with and without brace. Radiologic and clinical examination data of 1, 3, and 12 months after surgery were used to determine bone fusion. Chi square and Fisher's exact test were used for data analysis. Of 56 cases with thoracolumbar fracture, 48 were fixated with pedicular screw. Falling was the most common etiology, L1 was the most common affected vertebra, and burst was the most common fracture type. Groups were similar according to demographic features. Fusion rate was 60% with brace and 58% without brace in a 3-month follow up however, it was 100% in both groups after one year. Residual back pain did not differ significantly between groups. Brace did not influence the outcomes. Thus, patients with instable thoracolumbar fracture may not require TLSO brace following the pedicular screw surgery.