NONCONTIGUOUS SPINAL FRACTURES

A retrospective review of 817 spinal fracture patients revealed a 6.4% (52/817) incidence of non-contiguous spine fractures. Seventy-three per cent of the non-contiguous injuries were comprised of combinations of injuries in the cervical and thoracic regions or in the thoracic and lumbar regions. Forty-five per cent of fractures were a combination of compression fractures, 40% a combination of a compression fracture and a major spine fracture (i.e., one more likely to cause a neurologic deficit), and 15% a combination of major fractures. © 1990 by Williams and Wilkins Co.