14 A 25-year-old man was skydiving and missed his optimal landing site, injuring himself. He complained of low back pain, but had no neurologic deficit. Figs. 14-1 and 14-2 demonstrate L1 and L4 burst fractures on sagittal lumbar computed tomography (CT) reconstruction. Multiple lumbar burst fractures The patient underwent long-arm fusion. The postoperative construct can be seen on anteroposterior (AP) lumbar x-ray in Fig. 14-3. There is a spectrum of opinion in the spine literature regarding optimum treatment for vertebral body compression fractures. This ranges from conservative therapy to anterior, posterior, or combined approaches. Generally, surgery is accepted as the mainstay for patients with an incomplete deficit or radiographic signs suggesting an incompetent posterior column—over 25 degrees of kyphosis, fanning of the spinous processes, or facet separation.
Multiple Burst Fractures
Presentation
Radiologic Findings
Diagnosis
Treatment
Discussion
Related posts:
