Aim:

To analyses the operated cases of traumatic thoracal and lumbar vertebral fracture cases.

Material and Method:

Ninety-three patients who admitted to Adana Numune Training and Research Hospital Department of Neurosurgery between 2015-2017 years for traumatic thoracal and lumbar fractures inspected retrospectively. Data’s were inspected from the patient’s files and radiology PACS system. Decompression surgeries for these fractures were posterior instrumentation-fusion and laminectomy. Patients were evaluated with age, gender, type of trauma, level of trauma and neurological condition.

Results:

A total of 93 patients were included in this study. The mean age of the participants was 43.1 ± 18.6 years, and 62.4 % of the population were males. Most frequent cause of admission was falling from height (60.2 %), which was followed by motor vehicle occupant trauma (20.4 %) and non-occupant motor vehicle trauma (12.9 %). Most frequently fractured vertebrae were L1 (40.9 %), T12 (21.5 %), and L2 (19.4 %). Types of the fractures were distributed as compression fracture (49.5 %), burst fracture (48.4 %), and dislocated fractures (2.2%). The comparisons of the general characteristics between males and females revealed that non-occupant and occupant motor vehicle traumas were significantly higher in men, and falling from height and osteoporosis were significantly higher in women (p=0.008). However, the age distribution (p=0.544) and the types of fractures (p=0.480) were similar in both sexes. The effect of surgery on findings in neurological examination was significant. When the outcomes in post-operative period were compared with the preoperative findings, the patients were found to have significantly improved neurological outcomes (p<0.001).

Conclusion:

Thoracic and lumbar fractures are frequently seen healthcare problems. Surgery or conservative treatment could be chosen according to fracture type. Surgery must be done urgently if neurological deficit is present. Our clinical results that similar to literature show us that early decompression-fusion surgery could give positive feedback to recovery of neurological deficits.

Keywords: Thoracal vertebral fractures, thoracal trauma, spinal traumas