Surgery

All patients underwent emergent posterior fracture stabilization and, if necessary, spinal decompression. A second-stage surgery was performed to place the cage for vertebral body replacement to reinforce the arthrodesis. The second-stage surgery was performed anteriorly by thoracotomy for thoracic vertebra fractures and by L1 or lumbotomy for fractures to L2, L3, and L4. The minimum interval between the first and second approach was 3 days. All patients underwent partial resection of the vertebral body, followed by placement of a cylindrical titanium or PEEK cage.