Thoracic and lumbar spine trauma classification systems fail to predict post-traumatic kyphotic deformity.

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Abstract

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. The authors report no conflict of interest. 16. Surg Neurol Int. 2021 May 31;12:242. doi: 10.25259/SNI_322_2021. eCollection 2021. Review of best classification systems for diagnosing and treating thoracolumbar spine trauma. Barcelos ACES(1), Onishi FJ(2), Joaquim AF(3), Botelho RV(4). Author information: (1)Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Surgery, Hospital Universitario Lauro Wanderley - UFPB, Joao Pessoa, Brazil. (2)Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Hospital Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. (3)Department of Neurology, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil. (4)Department of Neurosurgery, Instituto de Assistencia Medica ao Servidor Publico do Estado de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. BACKGROUND: Improved thoracolumbar spine trauma classification (TLSTC) systems can better help diagnose and treat thoracolumbar spine trauma (TLT). Here, we identified the types of injury (rationale and description), instability criteria, and treatment guidelines of TLSTC. METHODS: We used the PubMed/MEDLINE database to assess TLSTC according to the following variables: injury morphology, injury mechanism, spinal instability criteria, neurological status, and treatment guidelines. RESULTS: Twenty-one studies, 18 case series and three reviews were included in the study. Treatment guidelines were proposed in 16 studies. The following three major parameters were identified in TLSTC studies: injury morphology (19/21 studies), posterior ligamentous complex (PLC) disruption alone as the main spinal instability criterion (15 studies), and neurological damage (12 studies). Most classification systems neglected the severity of vertebral body comminution. CONCLUSION: We identified here the 3 main parameters for the evaluation of diagnosis and treatment of TLT: injury morphology, PLC disruption, and neurological damage. Based on our review, we may conclude that further clinical validation studies of TLSTC are warranted. Copyright: © 2021 Surgical Neurology International. DOI: 10.25259/SNI_322_2021 PMCID: PMC8247666