Rimoldi R L, Zigler J E, Capen D A, Hu S S
Spinal Injury Service, Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center, Downey, California.
Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 1992 Dec;17(12):1443-9. doi: 10.1097/00007632-199212000-00001.
One hundred forty-seven patients with unstable low thoracic and lumbar fractures were examined. All patients had significant neurologic injuries. Ninety-one patients exhibited incomplete lesions whereas fifty-six had complete lesions. Age, sex, cause of injury, fracture location, fracture mechanism, and complications were recorded and analyzed. The average follow-up was 25 months (range 2-148). Incomplete neurologic lesions demonstrated a significant increase in ASIA motor points if both decompression and stabilization were performed at the same operative sitting. When decompression was performed before stabilization a decrease in improvement was noted. Patients with complete lesions demonstrated a significant reduction in rehabilitation time if stabilization was augmented with sublaminar wires rather than Drummond wires or Harrington rods alone.
