Thoracolumbar Spine Injuries in Children and Adolescents
Thoracolumbar spine injuries are the most common spine injuries in the skeletally immature, but only represent 1%-2% of all fractures or injuries in this patient population. These injuries range in severity but the severe ones may have devastating, lifelong consequences. This article will summarize a common sense way of evaluation and treatment of them. The premise is to stress principles and a methodical approach to analyze these injuries and then to apply a practical, effective, and efficient treatment modalities to manage them. There has been no attempt to address each and every possible injury type. Rather, the goal here was to provide a more general framework through which a physician managing such injuries can maneuver.
⁎Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
†Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL
Address reprint requests to John P. Lubicky, MD, Indiana University School of Medicine, Riley Hospital for Children, 702 Barnhill Dr, ROC 4250, Indianapolis, IN 46202
The authors have not received any funding from industry in the preparation of this manuscript.
Dr. Lubicky is a member of the Spinal Deformity Study Group, an international spinal research organization whose work and meetings are sponsored and funded by Medtronic Spine.
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