The effect of surgical intervention on rehabilitation time in patients with thoracolumbar and lumbar spinal cord injuries.

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.