LETTER TO EDITOR REGARDING “SHORT SEGMENT FIXATION OF THORACOLUMBAR FRACTURES WITH PEDICLE FIXATION AT THE LEVEL OF THE FRACTURE”

Dear Editor, we read with great interest the article by Dr. Caruso et al. published in your journal which addresses the controversial and actual topic of short segment fixation with short screws in fractured vertebra for thoracolumbar vertebral fractures. The topic is of great interest in the scientific community and in clinical practice with a fervid literature focusing on the topic. We would also like to congratulate the authors for their perspective study which required several years to complete. It must be noted, however, that Magerl classification, despite its continued use in surgical practice, is not up to-date, and it was substituted in 2013 by Vaccaro classification of Thoracolumbar fracture. Finally, we would like to thank the authors for the interesting point of discussion raised by their article, and we hope soon to read more prospective comparative or randomized controlled trials including both treatments.