J Korean Soc Spine Surg.  1999 Dec;6(3):415-421.

Radiographic Comparison of Stable Burst Fractures with Compression Fractures in Thoracolumbar Spine

• Chung YK
• Kim SW
• Kim BS
• Lee EJ
• Choi SJ
• Chang JD

Abstract

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study was designed to evaluate the radiographic diagnostic method to detect any abnormal findings and differentiate stable burst fractures with compression fractures at thoracolumbar spine.
OBJECTIVES
To evaluate diagnostic sensitivity of radiographic analysis and confirm the effectiveness of the radiographic diagnostic methods to differentiate stable burst fractures with pure compression fractures. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: A data showed that the diagnostic sensitivity using radiographic analysis was 83%. The greater sensitivity was obtained at high posterior superior vertebral angle and PSVA/PIVA > 1.3.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Thirty-one patients with thoracolumbar spine fractures were evaluate to differentiate stable burst fractures with pure compression fractures. All patients were taken X-ray and CT. The PSVA(Posterior superior vertebral angle), PIVA(Posterior inferior vertebral angle), PSVA/PIVA were checked using lateral plain radiographs during follow-up period, and the final data was analysed using radiological & statistical methods.
RESULTS
Middle column failure of stable burst fractures was greatly observed at high PSVA(especially >100degree) and high PSVA/PIVA ratio(> 1.3).
CONCLUSION
The radiographic analysis using PSVA(Posterior superior vertebral angle), PIVA(Posterior inferior vertebral angle), PSVA/PIVA might be the one of useful methods to differentiate stable burst fractures with pure compression fractures at thoracolumbar spine during follow-up period.

Keyword

Radiographic analysis; Stable burst fracture; Thoracolumbar spine; Diagnosis

MeSH Terms

Diagnosis
Follow-Up Studies
Fractures, Compression*
Humans
Retrospective Studies
Spine*