Single-stage posterior total en bloc spondylectomy in the treatment of lumbar spinal metastases

•Single-stage posterior TES for lumbar tumors was firstly reported in our study.•We confirmed that lumbar diseased vertebral body could be removed completely through single-stage posterior manipulations.•Detaching nerve roots adequately and stripping the psoas muscle was the key to remove the vertebral body.•Single-stage posterior TES is a challenging but rewarding procedure in the treatment of lumbar spinal metastases. To report the clinical and radiographic outcomes of single-stage posterior total en bloc spondylectomy (TES) of lumbar spinal metastases. From January 2012 to January 2015, 20 consecutive cases with lumbar spinal metastases who received single-stage posterior TES were retrospectively analyzed. A visual analog scale (VAS) was used to evaluate patients' pain status, American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) classification was used to evaluate neurological status, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score system was used to evaluate patients' performance status at pre- and post-operation and final follow-up. In addition, Intraoperative blood loss, operative time, postoperative complications, local kyphosis angle, and the postoperative duration of hospital stay were analyzed. The median follow-up time was 16 months (ranging from 3 to 39 months), and 4 patients were still alive at the last follow-up. The mean amount of intraoperative blood loss and operation time was 970 mL and 232.5 min, respectively. The average VAS score improved from 7.5 preoperative to 2.8 postoperative and 3.2 at the last follow-up. Postoperative complications occurred in 3 cases. Sixteen patients died within 2 years after surgery, 10 of which died within 1 year. In the remaining 4 patients, the mean follow-up period was 37.25 months. One case of local recurrence occurred but no implant failure presented during follow-up. Single-stage posterior TES is a challenging but rewarding procedure in the treatment of lumbar spinal metastases. Due to unique anatomy and biomechanics, surgeons should be aware of important vessels, and nerve root injury should be avoided.