Spinal stabilization by using crossed-screw anterior-posterior fixation after multisegmental total spondylectomy for thoracic chondrosarcoma. Case report.

The authors describe the case of a 41-year-old man with high-grade chondrosarcoma who presented with a paraspinous mass extending into three thoracic vertebrae (T10-12). Crossfixed long anterior and posterior instrumentation was placed after three complete spondylectomies (T10-12). This technique augments spinal stability with an outrigger effect by using crossfixators placed between paired dorsal rods, as well as between the anterior and posterior hardware components. This technique may be used as an alternative when multiple vertebrae or all three spinal columns are involved by radioresistant malignant tumors in patients in whom there is a relatively long life expectancy.