OBJECTIVE:To compare treatment effects of pedicle screws techniques strengthened by polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) bone cement and injectable calcium sulfate cement (CSC) on old patients suffering from osteoporosis and lumbar spinal stenosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and twenty-four cases are selected and they are divided into PMMA bone cement group with 58 cases and injectable CSC group with 66 cases in order to compare and analyze treatment effects of two groups. RESULTS: Operation

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... ime and total dose of bone cement in CSC group are obviously lower than those in PMMA group and there are no differences regarding bleeding volume between two groups. Visual analog scale in two groups is gradually decreasing. For CSC group, scores at 1 day and 1 week after operation are obviously lower than those in PMMA group and there are no differences regarding this after 1 month. In PMMA group, bone mineral density values are not improved with time while it is increasing gradually in CSC group; differences between groups are of statistical significance (P < 0.05). Oswestry Disability Indices in two groups after treatment are all decreasing while Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scores are increasing, especially in CSC group, differences are of statistical significance (P < 0.05); effective rate of improvement in CSC group is higher than that in PMMA group, however, as for ranked data, there are no statistical significance. Both groups have good imaging evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: Injectable CSC has better clinical effects than pedicle screws technique strengthened by PMMA bone cement in terms of treating old patients suffering from osteoporosis and lumbar spinal stenosis.