COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY FOR A BURSTING FRACTURE OF LUMBAR SPINE - REPORT OF A CASE

So-called bursting fractures are caused by vertical compression of the vertebral column, forcing the end-plate or nucleus of the disc into the vertebral body, which 'explodes'. Sometimes a fragment is displaced into the neural canal, as in our patient. In this case the authors were able to demonstrate, by computerized tomographic scanning, the nature and position of the fracture in relation to the neural canal. With the newer types of scanners, the nerve structures themselves often can be seen.