López CC, Mejía HJC

Language: Spanish
References: 21
Page: 122-130
PDF size: 228.17 Kb.

ABSTRACT

Most of thoracolumbar fractures are stable and should be handled with non surgical treatment. These kind of fractures must be discarded in all polithraumatized patients. Once the diagnosis is made, the injury should be classified trough any of the classifications proposed for these means: OA and TLISS, which determine the severity of the damage, suggest the treatment should be carried up and allow to settle its prognosis. The key to decide between conservative and invasive treatment is the rupture of the posterior ligamentary complex and the neurological damage. Conservative treatment consists in bed rest and the use of a thoracolumbar corset for three months with periodic X-ray control to evaluate residual kiphosis development. Comparative studies have shown that it is preferable to make non-surgical treatment in stable fractures at this level.

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