Volume 3/Issue 3 — 2012Evidence-Based Spine-Care Journal

Support for this work was provided by Spectrum Research Inc with funding from AOSpine. Systematic review—Percutaneous minimally invasive versus open spine surgery (...) AbstrAct Study design: Comparative effectiveness review. Objective: To determine the comparative effectiveness and safety of percutaneous minimally invasive versus open spine surgery for fractures of the thoracolumbar junction. Methods: A systematic review of the English-language literature was undertaken for articles published between 1970 and March 15, 2012. Reference lists of key articles were also systematically checked. We attempted to identify all articles that reported on the effectiveness and/or safety comparing minimally invasive surgery (MIS) with open surgery for thoracolumbar fractures in the adult population. Articles containing hematological or neoplastic fractures primarily were excluded. Other exclusions included reviews, editorials, case series, non–English-language written studies, and animal studies. We rated the overall body of evidence using a modified Grades of Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system for diagnostic and therapeutic studies. Results