Surgical Treatment of Post - traumatic Kyphosis

Kim, Eung Ha; Cho, Key Nam; Kim, Chung Hwan

Abstract

Post-traumatic kyphosis is generally recognized as the result of failure of initial treatment in injured spine. The purposes of this study are to find out the surgical indications in residual post-traumatic kyphosis and to analysis the result of operative correction in post-traumatic kyphosis. The authors analyzed 14 cases of post-traumatic kyphosis, operated from Jan. 1992 to Mar. 1996. Their injuries were estimated initially compression fracture in 12 cases, hurst fracture in 2 cases. Their initial treatments were conservative method in 12 cases, anterior fusion in 1case & laminectomy in 1 case. The results of this study are as follows: 1) By standard Cobb lateral measurement, the mean preoperative kyphosis of 32.9degrees was reduced to 14.2 degrees(56.8% correction ratio). 2) Symptomatic improvement was definite, stooping with fatigue pain, mid back pain and accompanied claudication were improved in all cases. And low hack pain due to compensatory lordosis was improved in 5 of 6 cases. 3) We acquired bone union in all cases. We concluded that some thoraco-lumhar fractures could be underestimated in supine X-ray and needed more meticulous evaluation and follow-up. In addition, preexisting symptomatic lumhar degeneration below fracture should be considered in initial surgical decision making of post-traumatic kyphosis.