Our purpose of surgical treatment for injured spine is reduction, decompression, and stabilization. And this method is effective in early rehabilitation and nursing care of injured patients.
From June 1979 to December 1985, 138 injured patients were operated on by use of Harrington instrumentation.
Among them, 134 patients were followed up for 6 months after the operation. We studied instrumentation failure (dislodgement or loosening of hook, etc.) in roentgenography.
30 patients operated by distraction rods, mainly two distraction rods, showed failure. Frequency of failure was 32% in the round ended type and 24% in the square ended type. 9 patients by compression rods showed failure (52%).
Harrington instrumentation of double distraction rods with segmental spinous process wiring was effective in patients with spinal injury to perform early rehabilitation with a light brace. Failure of instrumentation in this method didn't bring remarkable loss of correction to require reoperation.
