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Abstract
Dorsolumbar trauma is the most common cause of paraparesis or paraplegia. Optimal
goals of the management include establishment of a painless, balanced and stable spinal
column with vertebral fusion. We reviewed various types of fractures of dorsolumbar
spine, their management and outcome in a prospective study of 94 cases of dorsolumbar
trauma managed surgically at our centre (Jan 2008 – May 2009). All patients underwent
complete neurological examination, CT and MR imaging of the spine. Most common mode
of injury was fall from height (66%). Majority of the patients belonged to Frankel
grade A (66 %). Eighteen patients (19 %) were operated using anterior approach and
rest by posterior approach. There was no deterioration in neurological status in any
of the patients while 26 patients had improvement. Three cases died out of which one
was attributed to associated head injury. We conclude that fall from height is the
most common cause of dorsolumbar fracture with majority affected belonging to young
population and had significant deficits, thus causing significant burden on the society.
Surgical management is safe and helps in early mobilization and rehabilitation, thus
facilitating possible neurological recovery.
Keywords
dorsolumbar - fracture - paraplegia - transpedicular - rehabilitation
