Relationships between Radiological Change of Fractured Vertebrae and Posterior Ligament Complex Injury in Thoracolumbar Fracture

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationships between posterior ligament complex injury and plain radiographic parameters in thoracolumbar spinal fractures. METHODS: Forty patients with thoracolumbar fractures who had operated from Jan 2006 to Dec 2007 were studied. For the evaluation of stability of injured vertebrae, we used the radiographic parameters which were wedge angle, Cobb's angle, compression rate measured on the plain radiographs, and the presence of posterior ligament complex injury on MRI. RESULTS: In the compression fracture group, the compression rate was statistically significant high in the posterior ligament complex injury patient(p=0.03). In the burst fracture group, the wedge angle, Cobb's angle and the compression rate were high in the posterior ligament complex injury patient, which were all statistically significant(p=0.02, 0.01, 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of a posterior ligament complex injury is important in the treatment of the thoracolumbar spine fracture. The status of the posterior ligament complex should be integrated into future classification schemes of thoracolumbar spine fractures.