Etiology of children's spinal injuries at Rancho Los Amigos

A review of 277 patients under the age of 16 years admitted to the pediatric spinal injury unit at Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center from 1960 to 1989 showed that 70% of the patients were male; complete and incomplete injuries were about equal; and the average age was 8.8 years. The cause of spinal injury by time period revealed that earlier time periods had etiologies similar to those reported in previously published series. Although the incidence of these traditional causes remained constant, violent injuries by gunshot steadily increased with time. In the most recent 5-year period, gunshot wounds equaled motor vehicle injuries as the most frequent cause of a child's spinal injury admitted to this hospital. Gunshot wound victims averaged 12 years old, 80% were male, and most were thoracic level paraplegics. Half of the 50 adolescents (12-16 years old) injured during the last 5 years were gunshot victims.