[Thoracolumbar trauma: in situ fixation vs decompression and fixation in neurologically involved burst fractures]

Thoracolumbar burst fractures are a great challenge for spine surgeons and that is why the aim of this study was to perform a systematic review analyzing the current literature regarding the different factors to take into account in their management. Material and methods: Systematic search in PubMed, Cochrane, MedlinePlus sites. "Thoracolumbar Burst Fractures" were the keywords. Titles, abstracts and full text were analyzed from two independent observers. Results: Six studies were included, five (83.33%) were prospective cohort studies and only one (16.67%) was retrospective. There were a total of 289 patients among all samples. The mean age was 38.48 years and the sex ratio was male to female of 1.7:1. Conclusion: Thoracolumbar burst fractures remain controversial in their treatment with published literature of low level of evidence and without establishing a consensus at the time of decision making with different options depending on the surgeon's experience and preference. However, most of them are inclined towards treatment with short segment posterior fixation but without long-term follow-up. Regarding neurological deficit, surgical decompression achieved consensus among all surgeons.