Intraoperative ultrasonography (IOUS) in thoracolumbar fractures

The thoracolumbar levels are the second most common region for spinal trauma. A major surgical effort often entails removal of retropulsed bone fragments with decompression of the spinal contents or realignment of vertebral subluxations. The ability to determine intraoperatively the completeness of such a procedure could impact on the surgical approach and, ultimately, the operative result. The intraoperative use of ultrasonography has gained popularity and applicability. This comparison study of intraoperative ultrasonography versus postoperative computed tomography (CT) assessed the accuracy of intraoperative ultrasonography in determining the status of the spinal canal following surgical intervention in a group of 21 patients with thoracolumbar fractures. In all cases a patent ventral subarachnoid space or complete spinal canal decompression was deduced following intraoperative ultrasonography. The postoperative assessment by CT concurred in 20 of 21 (95%) situations. Intraoperative ultrasonography proved useful during the operative management of these fractures and gave good supportive evidence that the neural elements were decompressed by surgical procedure.