Fig. 4

Clinical results, including the MacNab scale score and mean VAS score for back pain in both groups. The PKCPP group had a greater percentage of patients who met the excellent and good criteria than the simple PKP group at 1 day, 1 month, and 3 months after surgery (P = 0.019, 0.010, and 0.022, respectively); however, the modified MacNab scale score did not significantly differ between the two groups at the last follow-up visit (P = 0.471). The VAS score significantly decreased after surgery in both groups (P < 0.05), and the PKCPP group had better VAS scores than the simple PKP group at 1 day, 1 month, and 3 months after surgery (all P < 0.001); however, the VAS scores in the two groups were not significantly different at the last follow-up visit (P = 0.73)