Management of traumatic thoracolumbar fractures: a systematic review of the literature

Neurospine, 2021

Thoracolumbar spine is the most injured spinal region in blunt trauma. Literature on the indications for nonoperative treatment of thoracolumbar fractures is conflicting. The purpose of this systematic review is to clarify the indications for nonsurgical treatment of thoracolumbar fractures. We conducted a systematic literature search between 2010 to 2020 on PubMed/MEDLINE, and Cochrane Central. Up-to-date literature on the indications for nonoperative treatment of thoracolumbar fractures was reviewed to reach an agreement in a consensus meeting of WFNS (World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies) Spine Committee. The statements were voted and reached a positive or negative consensus using the Delphi method. For all of the questions discussed, the literature search yielded 1,264 studies, from which 54 articles were selected for full-text review. Nine studies (4 trials, and 5 retrospective) evaluating 759 participants with thoracolumbar fractures who underwent nonoperative/surgery w...

The Internet Journal of Spine Surgery

The treatment of traumatic thoracolumbar fractures in the adult population remains controversial. To create an insight of the treatment performed by spine surgeons in the Netherlands a questionnaire survey was developed. This survey was sent to all departments of trauma-surgery and orthopedic surgery in the Netherlands and focused on their operative-or non-operative treatment of traumatic thoracolumbar fractures in adults. A minority of 32% of the departments offered operative treatment of thoracolumbar fractures. The Magerl/AO classification is still predominantly used among Dutch spine surgeons. The most used stabilization technique is an open dorsal stabilization. A large majority of the departments performs less than 10 operative thoracolumbar spine stabilizations per year. This is the first overview of the treatment of adult patients with thoracolumbar fractures in The Netherlands.

Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research®, 2015

Health Technology Assessment, 2021

Background There is informal consensus that simple compression fractures of the body of the thoracolumbar vertebrae between the 10th thoracic vertebra and the second lumbar vertebra without neurological complications can be managed conservatively and that obvious unstable fractures require surgical fixation. However, there is a zone of uncertainty about whether surgical or conservative management is best for stable fractures. Objectives To assess the feasibility of a definitive randomised controlled trial comparing surgical fixation with initial conservative management of stable thoracolumbar fractures without spinal cord injury. Design External randomised feasibility study, qualitative study and national survey. Setting Three NHS hospitals. Methods A feasibility randomised controlled trial using block randomisation, stratified by centre and type of injury (high- or low-energy trauma) to allocate participants 1 : 1 to surgery or conservative treatment; a costing analysis; a national...

Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, 2006

ObjectDespite extensive published research on thoracolumbar burst fractures, controversy still surrounds which is the most appropriate treatment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the scientific literature on operative and nonoperative treatment of patients with thoracolumbar burst fractures and no neurological deficit.MethodsIn their search of the literature, the authors identified all possible relevant studies concerning thoracolumbar burst fracture without neurological deficit. Two independent observers performed study selection, methodological quality assessment, and data extraction in a blinded and objective manner for all papers identified during the search. In a synthesis of the literature, the authors obtained evidence for both operative and nonoperative treatments.ConclusionsThere is a lack of evidence demonstrating the superiority of one approach over the other as measured using generic and disease-specific health-related quality of life scales. There is no scien...

Journal of Spine, 2015

Thoracolumbar fractures are an important topic in spinal surgery. In this article, the instability of the thoracolumbar fracture classifications and surgical treatments are discussed, with a particular focus on treatment concepts that are based on the modern classification systems.

Spine, 2015

Web-based-multicenter study OBJECTIVE.: To assess and compare the management strategy for traumatic thoracolumbar fractures between German and Dutch spine surgeons. To date, there is no evidence-based treatment algorithm for thoracolumbar spine fractures. Thereby an international controversy concerning optimal treatment exists. In this web-based-multicenter study (www.spine.hostei.com) CT-scans of traumatic thoracolumbar fractures (T12-L2) were evaluated by German and Dutch spine surgeons. Supplementary case-specific information as age, gender, height, weight, neurological status, and injury mechanism were provided.By use of a questionnaire, fractures were classified according to the AO-Magerl Classification, followed by six questions concerning the treatment algorithm. Data were analyzed using SPSS (Version 21, 76 Chicago IL, USA). The interobserver agreement was determined by Cohens-Kappa. Statistical significance was defined as p < 0.05. Twelve surgeons (six/country) evaluated...

Shafa Orthopedic Journal, 2015

Background: Thoracolumbar fractures are the most common fractures of the spinal column. There is no consensus about treatment method of choice among authors. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare radiographic and functional outcomes of conservative management with that of surgical treatment in thoracolumbar spine fractures. Patients and Methods: Forty-nine patients with single level acute thoracolumbar fractures and normal neurological examination were evaluated, of those 21 patients underwent surgery and 28 treated with orthosis. Radiographic outcomes were evaluated by measuring sagittal kyphotic angle, anterior vertebral body collapse and functional outcomes were assessed using SF36 health survey questionnaire and the Denis work and pain scales. Results: Among the surgically treated patients, sagittal kyphotic angle was significantly corrected immediately after operation and in the last follow-up compared to preoperative measurements (P < 0.001), functional results of SF36 score and pain scale were satisfactory. Among those received conservative management, sagittal kyphotic angle and anterior vertebral collapse were not significantly different before and after bracing (P = 0.4 and P = 0.8, respectively); functional outcome of SF36 scores were satisfactory and functional and radiographic results had no correlation. Conclusions: Functional outcome in both groups with surgical and non-surgical treatment was satisfactory. Radiographic indices were improved with surgical treatment and no correlation was found between functional and radiographic outcome.

Acta Orthopaedica Et Traumatologica Turcica, 2004

We evaluated the efficacy of non-operative treatment of thoracolumbar burst fractures. M e t h o d s : The study included 26 patients (19 males, 7 females; mean age 36 years; range 18 to 67 years) who underwent conservative treatment for single-level thoracolumbar fractures without posterior column involvement. None of the patients had neurologic deficits and canal encroachment was 50% or less in all fractures. Functional results were evaluated with the use of Denis' pain and work scales. Relationships were sought between functional results and follow-up time, progression in kyphosis angle, residual kyphosis, and residual canal stenosis, and between radiologic parameters. Resu l t s : Functional results were excellent or good in 65.3%, and poor in 7.7%. Three patients required surgery because of pain. Final follow-up evaluations showed a significant progression in the mean Cobb angle (p<0.001) and a significant remodelization in the mean canal encroachment (p<0.001). No significant correlations were found between progression in kyphosis, residual kyphosis, residual canal stenosis, and functional results (p>0.05). The mean initial Cobb angle was correlated with the mean initial canal encroachment (p<0.05). There was also a correlation between the initial canal encroachment and final remodelization (p<0.001). Co n c l u s i o n : Although non-operative management of thoracolumbar fractures has considerable eff i c a c y, it may yield poor results in a small percentage of patients, some of whom require surgery because of pain. Thus, further prospective, randomized, and comparative studies with longer follow-up periods are required to define prognostic factors that may predict poor results following non-operative treatment.

Asian Spine Journal, 2022

A retrospective cohort study of patients with surgically treated thoracolumbar fractures. Purpose: This study aimed to describe the incidence of adverse events (AEs) after surgical stabilization of thoracolumbar spine injuries and to identify predictive factors for the occurrence of AEs. Overview of Literature: Thoracolumbar spine fractures are frequently present in patients with blunt trauma and are associated with significant morbidity. AEs can occur due to the initial spinal injury or secondary to surgical treatment. There is a lack of emphasis in the literature on the AEs that can occur after operative management of thoracolumbar fractures. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of 199 patients with surgically treated thoracolumbar fractures operated between January 2007 and January 2018. The potential risk factors for the development of AEs as well as the development of common complications were evaluated by univariate analysis, and a multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent risk factors predictive of the above. Results: The overall rate of AEs was 46.7%; 83 patients (41.7%) had nonsurgical AEs, whereas 24 (12.1%) had surgical adverse events. The most common AEs were urinary tract infections in 43 patients (21.6%), and hospital-acquired pneumonia in 21 patients (10.6%). On multivariate logistic regression, a Thoracolumbar Injury Classification and Severity (TLICS) score of 8-10 (odds ratio [OR], 6.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.33-17.51), the presence of polytrauma (OR, 2.64; 95% CI, 1.17-5.99), and undergoing open surgery (OR, 2.31; 95% CI, 1.09-4.88) were significant risk factors for AEs. The absence of neurological deficit was associated with a lower rate of AEs (OR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.31-0.70). Conclusions: This study suggests the presence of polytrauma, preoperative American Spinal Injury Association score, and TLICS score are predictive of AEs in patients with surgically treated thoracolumbar fractures. The results might also suggest a role for minimally invasive surgical methods in reducing AEs in these patients.

European Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, 2006

European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society, 2018

To determine the health-related quality of life (QOL), safety and radiologic parameters after thoracoscopic treatment of traumatic thoracolumbar fractures using a distractible cage in patients without spinal cord injury (SCI). Retrospective cohort study of patients treated between 2004 and 2012 in a university level-one trauma center. Patient and treatment characteristics were collected from the hospital information system. All available radiographic material was assessed for fracture characteristics and Cobb angle at consecutive times. Patients completed the SF-36 and EQ-5D QOL questionnaires at follow-up. 105 patients were treated with a distractible cage, which was performed thoracoscopically in 86 cases, including 16 patients with SCI. Of 70 eligible patients, 46 were available for follow-up and completed the questionnaires at median 49 months after surgery. QOL was lower on most domains compared to the general population. Compared to patients who underwent solely posterior fixa...

Orthopaedics and Trauma, 2014

The management of thoracolumbar spine fractures remains a controversial issue. There is disagreement both as to how to describe these injuries and how to manage them. No ideal classification system, accepted by the world of spinal surgery, exists and such systems are under on-going development. While the majority of these injuries can be managed conservatively, new surgical techniques have been developed alongside the evolution of diagnostic tools classification systems.

Neurospine

To formulate the specific guidelines for the recommendation of thoracolumbar fracture regarding surgical techniques and nonfusion surgery. WFNS (World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies) Spine Committee organized 2 consensus meeting. For nonfusion surgery and thoracolumbar fracture, a systematic literature search in PubMed and Google Scholar database was done from 2010 to 2020. The search was further refined by excluding the articles which were duplicate, not in English or were based on animal or cadaveric subjects. After thorough shortlisting, only 50 articles were selected for full review in this consensus meeting. To generate a consensus, the levels of agreement or disagreement on each item were voted independently in a blind fashion through a Likert-type scale from 1 to 5. The consensus was achieved when the sum for disagreement or agreement was ≥ 66%. Each consensus point was clearly defined with evidence strength, recommendation grade, and consensus level provided. A magnit...

Orthopedics, 2012

The purpose of this study was to compare the results of anterior approach vs posterior approach in the treatment of chronic thoracolumbar fractures. A total of 36 patients with chronic thoracolumbar fractures were divided into 2 groups. Group A was treated by an anterior approach and group B was treated by a posterior approach. During the minimum 24-month follow-up period (range, 24-62 months), all patients were prospectively evaluated for clinical and radiologic outcomes. Intraoperative blood loss, operative time, operative complications, pulmonary function, Frankel scale, and American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) motor score were used for clinical evaluation, and Cobb angle was examined for radiologic outcome. All patients in this study achieved solid fusion, with signifi cant neurologic improvement. Operative time, perioperative blood loss, ASIA score on admission and at fi nal follow-up, and complications of respiratory tract infection and intercostal nerve pain were not signifi cantly different between the 2 groups (PϾ.05), but complications of hemopneumothorax, abdominal distension, and constipation were fewer in group B (PϽ.05). Postoperative pulmonary function (PϽ.05) and correction of posttraumatic kyphosis were better in group B (PϽ.05).