Clinical characteristics of patients with SSF vs LSF (N = 439).
| Variable | n (%) | SSF (n = 133) | LSF (n = 306) | P Value |
| Age ≤39 y | 233 (53.1%) | 78 (58.6%) | 155 (50.7%) | 0.075 |
| Men | 324 (73.8%) | 93 (69.9%) | 231 (75.5%) | 0.223 |
| Public hospital | 358 (81.5%) | 101 (75.9%) | 257 (83.9%) | 0.046 |
| Hypertension | 33 (7.5%) | 4 (3.0%) | 29 (9.5%) | 0.018 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 19 (4.3%) | 5 (3.8%) | 14 (4.6%) | 0.699 |
| Obesity | 12 (2.7%) | 5 (3.8%) | 7 (2.3%) | 0.282a |
| Smoker | 35 (8.0%) | 10 (7.5%) | 25 (8.2%) | 0.817 |
| Preoperative medical instability | 105 (23.9%) | 16 (12.0%) | 89 (29.1%) | <0.001 |
| Implant’s availability | 82 (18.7%) | 29 (21.8%) | 53 (17.3%) | 0.268 |
| AO Spine injury | ||||
| B2 | 245 (55.8%) | 107 (80.5%) | 138 (45.1%) | <0.001 |
| B3 | 14 (3.2%) | 7 (5.3%) | 7 (2.3%) | 0.094a |
| C | 180 (41.0%) | 19 (14.3%) | 161 (52.6%) | <0.001 |
| Level of injury | ||||
| Upper thoracic | 65 (14.8%) | 5 (3.8%) | 60 (19.6%) | <0.001 |
| Midthoracic | 78 (17.8%) | 9 (6.8%) | 69 (22.5%) | <0.001 |
| Thoracolumbar | 265 (60.4%) | 106 (79.7%) | 159 (51.9%) | <0.001 |
| Lumbar | 31 (7.1%) | 13 (9.8%) | 18 (5.9%) | 0.144 |
| Neurological status | ||||
| AIS A | 125 (28.5%) | 9 (6.8%) | 116 (37.9%) | <0.001 |
| AIS B | 23 (5.2%) | 4 (3.0%) | 19 (6.2%) | 0.167 |
| AIS C | 30 (6.8%) | 8 (6.0%) | 22 (7.2%) | 0.654 |
| AIS D | 34 (7.7%) | 14 (10.5%) | 20 (6.5%) | 0.151 |
| AIS E | 227 (51.7%) | 98 (73.7%) | 129 (42.2%) | <0.001 |
Abbreviations: AIS, ASIA Impairment Scale; ASIA, American Spinal Injury Association; LSF, long-segment fixation; SSF, short-segment fixation.
↵a Fisher’s exact test.