C-arm Oblique View Assisted Percutaneous Kyphoplasty (PKP) for Treating Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fractures

Objective: To assess the efficacy of C-arm oblique radiography-assisted percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) in the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) and its impact on radiation exposure for both surgeons and patients. Methods: In total, 192 patients with single-segment OVCF were included. Traditional anteroposterior (AP) and lateral fluoroscopy were used for puncture positioning in 86 cases (AP-lateral group), whereas C-arm oblique fluoroscopy was used in 106 cases (oblique group). the surgical time and the number of fluoroscopies were recorded. DR radiography was used to measure vertebral height, differences in vertebral compression and Cobb angle before and after surgery were compared. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores were recorded to assess surgical efficacy. Results: The oblique group had fewer intraoperative fluoroscopies (18.02±5.86) compared to the AP-lateral group (29.09±7.67); and shorter surgery time (29.67±11.32 min vs. 36.35±9.32 min), with both differences being statistically significant (P<0.05). Three months post-surgery, the VAS pain scores in the AP-lateral group were 2.19±1.30 and 2.26±1.30 in the oblique group, both significantly lower than pre-surgery scores, with statistical significance (P<0.05). However, there were no significant differences between the groups (P>0.05). Conclusion: C-arm oblique view assisted PKP can reduce surgery time, improve puncture accuracy, and decrease ionizing radiation exposure, effectively treating OVCF.