Thoracolumbar spine injuries associated with vertical plunges: reappraisal with computed tomography

Eighteen patients who had fallen or jumped, and who had sustained fractures of the thoracolumbar spine, were examined with high-resolution computed tomography (CT). Two distinctive patterns of fracture were demonstrated: compression, or wedge, fractures of the vertebral body were present in seven patients, but they were not associated with permanent neurological deficit; and burst fractures with sagittal cleavage into two fragments occurred in five of 11 patients, and they were associated with permanent neurological deficit. CT provided precise and unique information that aided in clinical decision making for this group of patients.