Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery and Minimal Access Spinal Surgery Compared in Anterior Thoracic or Thoracolumbar Junctional Spinal Reconstruction: A Case-Control Study and Review of the Literature

Figure 1

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for treating tuberculous spondylitis of T7-8 in a 74-year-old woman. (a) and (b) Vertebral destruction and collapse in T8. (c) and (d) Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) shows osteomyelitis in T7-8 vertebral bodies and anterior epidural abscess spreading under the anterior longitudinal ligament. (e) The incisional wound was 2.5–3.0 cm long to allow a three-portal video-assisted thoracoscopic debridement, curettage, and harvested tricortical iliac strut bone graft for anterior spinal reconstruction on T7-8. (f) and (g) Solid bone fusion was noticed on T7-8 at the 2-year follow-up.

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