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Thoracolumbar Spine Trauma

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Fundamentals of Neurosurgery

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Abstract

Thoracolumbar fractures account for nearly 90% of all spinal fractures and are typically acquired through high-energy trauma most commonly in young- to middle-aged males. These fractures may be associated with spinal cord injury requiring the assessment of neurological function via the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS). Several classification systems (the AO Classification System, the Thoracolumbar Injury Classification System, and the AOSpine Thoracolumbar Injury Classification System) have been developed to provide a common language, elucidate severity, and help guide treatment decisions in the management of these injuries. Notable thoracolumbar injuries include burst fractures, chance fractures, thoracolumbar fracture-dislocations, osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures, and cauda equina syndrome. This chapter provides a brief overview of the various classification systems used as well as the associated findings on imaging and the current recommendations and evidence available regarding the treatment of these common thoracolumbar injuries.

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Acknowledgment

The authors would like to acknowledge Alex Vaccaro IV, a research assistant at the Rothman Orthopaedic Institute, for his work on the illustrations used in this chapter.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Eugene Warnick

  2. Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, NJ, USA

    Sheena Amin

  3. Rothman Orthopaedic Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Mayan Lendner & Alexander R. Vaccaro

  4. National Spinal Injuries Unit, Department of Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland

    Joseph S. Butler

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  1. Eugene Warnick
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  2. Sheena Amin
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  3. Mayan Lendner
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  4. Joseph S. Butler
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  5. Alexander R. Vaccaro
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alexander R. Vaccaro .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Neurosurgery Division, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil

    Andrei Fernandes Joaquim

  2. Department of Neurology, Neurosurgery Division, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil

    Enrico Ghizoni

  3. Department of Neurology, Neurosurgery Division, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil

    Helder Tedeschi

  4. Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Mauro Augusto Tostes Ferreira

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Warnick, E., Amin, S., Lendner, M., Butler, J.S., Vaccaro, A.R. (2019). Thoracolumbar Spine Trauma. In: Joaquim, A., Ghizoni, E., Tedeschi, H., Ferreira, M. (eds) Fundamentals of Neurosurgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17649-5_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17649-5_7

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