Kapoen C, Liu Y, Bloemers FW, et al. - Researchers compared the results of performing posterior short-segment fixation (4-screw construct = 4S), the conventional surgical technique for thoracolumbar fractures, alone vs adding two intermediate pedicle screws at the fractured level (6-screw construct = 6S) via conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis. Searching PubMed, Embase and Google Scholar until January 2020, they included 27 studies, of which 21 were randomized controlled trials, with a total of 1,890 patients (940 with 4S and 950 with 6S). Findings suggest achievement of less postoperative pain, better radiological outcomes and less implant failure in correlation to the addition of intermediate screws at the fracture level (6S) in the treatment of thoracolumbar fractures but at the cost of a longer operation time and higher blood loss.