[Spinal injuries in children and adolescents].

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

Spinal injuries in children are rare and account for a low proportion of all childhood injuries. Due to anatomical and biomechanical properties of the growing spine, there are great differences between spinal injury in childhood and adulthood. Because of higher mobility and elasticity of the spine and a lower body mass in children, spinal injuries are not frequent and represent only 2 to 5 % of all spinal injuries. In this retrospective study, the effectiveness of conservative and surgical treatment of injured spines in children is evaluated in a 10-year period.

MATERIAL

All patients from birth to the completed 18th year of age treated in our departments between 1996 and 2005 were included in this study. The patients, evaluated in three age categories (0-9, 10-14, 15-18), were allocated to two groups according to the method of treatment used (conservative or surgical). The information on patients treated conservatively was drawn from medical records; the surgically treated patients were invited for a check-up.

METHODS

We used conservative treatment in patients with stable spinal injury who had no neurological deficit and in patients with neurological deficit but without apparent injury to the skeleton. Surgery was indicated in patients with unstable spinal injury and in those with neurological deficit and apparent injury to the skeletal structures. Injuries to the cervical spine were treated conservatively using a Philadelphia collar or a halo-vest in more serious cases. For treatment of injury to the thoracolumbar spine, the Magnuson method was preferred, together with rest in bed until subsidence of acute pain, followed by application of a vest and active rehabilitation to strengthen postural muscles. When surgery was used, the procedure was selected on a strictly individual basis in patients under 12; in older patients it was carried out according to the adult treatment protocol.

RESULTS

During 1996 through 2005, we treated a total of 15 646 patients with injury to the skeleton, aged 0 to 18 years. The spine was affected in 571 cases, which is 3.6 %. We used conservative treatment in 528 (92.5 %) and surgery in 43 (7.5 %) children. The period between surgery and evaluation ranged from 6 to 120 months (average, 46.3 months) in the patients treated conservatively, and from 6 to 66 months (average, 27 months) in the surgically treated patients. The group of patients treated conservatively consisted of 292 boys (55. 3 %) and 236 girls (44.7 %); of these 219 (41.5 %) were in the 0-9 year category, 251 (47.5 %) were between 10 and 14 years and 58 (11 %) were 15 to 18 years old. The average age in this group was 10.2 years. The most frequent cause of injury was a fall (277; 52.2 %), then sports activity or games (86; 16.3 %), car accidents (34; 6.4 %) and diving accidents (30; 5.7 %). Pedestrians were injured on 25 occasions (4.7 %) and other causes of injury were recorded in 76 patients (14.4 %). In all age categories, injury to the thoracic spine was most frequent (340; 64.4 %). Three and more vertebrae were injured (multi-segment injury) in 124 patients (23.5 %). The thoracolumbar spine was affected in 22 patients (4.2 %), and lumbar vertebrae were injured in 28 patients (5.3 %). Injury to the cervical spine, both upper and lower, was least frequent, including four (0.8 %) and 10 (1.9 %) patients, respectively. None of the patients in this group showed neurological deficit. The surgically treated group included 29 (67.4 %) boys and 14 (32.6 %) girls; two (4.7 %) children were between 0 and 9 years, nine (20.9 %) between 10 and 14 years, and 32 (74.7 %) between 15 and 18 years, with an average of 15.1 years for the whole group. The frequent causes of injury were car accidents and falls in 21 (48.8 %) and 14 (32.6 %) children, respectively. Other causes were infrequent. The upper cervical spine was operated on in five (11.6 %), lower cervical spine in eight (18.6 %), thoracic spine in 13 (30.2 %), thoracolumbar spine in five (11.6 %) and lumbar vertebrae in 12 (27.9 %) patients. Thirty-six (83.7 %) patients had fractures, five had dislocated fractures (11.6 %) and two (4.7 %) had a dislocation. Of the 43 children in this group, neurological deficit was recorded in nine (20.9 %); this included a complete spinal cord lesion, an incomplete spinal cord lesion and a nerve root lesion in three, five and one patient, respectively.

DISCUSSION

The results of this study confirm, in the majority of aspects, the conclusions of previously published papers. In some of the characteristics described above, however, our results are different, which can be explained by some specific features of care for injured children in the Czech Republic.

CONCLUSIONS

Childhood spinal injuries account for only 2 to 5 % of all spinal injuries and for 3.6 % of all skeletal injuries in children. Particularly at the age of 11 to 12 years, they differ significantly from spinal injuries in adults and therefore require different therapeutic approaches. The cervical spine is affected most often in younger children, while the thoracolumbar spine in older children. Multi-segment injuries are typical in the childhood spine, particularly in smaller children. Typically, children show SCIWORA and a more rapid improvement of neurological deficit than adults. Conservative treatment is preferred; surgery before 12 years of age is strictly individual, while after 12 years therapy is similar to that used in adults.