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Published on: November 8, 2024
Delayed posttraumatic thoracolumbar spinal deformities: diagnosis and management
Paul Khoueir1, Bryan C Oh, Michael Y Wang
1Department of Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Neurosurgery
|October 2, 2008
Summary
Spinal column fractures, affecting 50,000 annually, may need delayed surgery for deformities. Management is complex due to scarring and spinal cord issues, often requiring surgical correction.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Neurosurgery
- Spinal Surgery
Background:
- Approximately 50,000 traumatic spinal column fractures occur annually in the U.S.
- Some spinal injuries require immediate surgical stabilization, while others are managed non-operatively with potential for delayed deformity.
- Delayed spinal deformities can arise from initial inadequate stabilization or post-traumatic changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the challenges and surgical management strategies for delayed spinal deformities following traumatic fractures.
- To highlight factors complicating surgical intervention in these cases.
Main Methods:
- Review of literature and clinical case considerations for managing post-traumatic spinal deformities.
- Discussion of surgical approaches, including posterior-only and combined anterior-posterior techniques with osteotomies.
Main Results:
- Delayed spinal deformities present significant management challenges due to factors like scarring, epidural fibrosis, spinal cord tethering, and fusion into deformity.
- Surgical correction is often necessary to address these complex kyphotic deformities.
Conclusions:
- Surgical management of delayed spinal deformities requires careful consideration of complicating factors.
- Both posterior-only and combined anterior-posterior surgical approaches can be utilized for correction.
