Burst fractures of the thoracic and lumbar spine.

A burst fracture may be defined as an unstable compression fracture of the posterior wall of the vertebral body that allows fragments to be retropulsed into the spinal canal. Computerized axial tomography evaluation of these injuries often reveals posterior element fracture heretofore not stressed in the literature. In surgical treatment for these injuries four important considerations must be met; (1) the coronal and sagittal alignment of the spine; (2) patency of the neural canal; (3) the two-column concept of spinal stability; and (4) bony vertebral body reconstitution. An algorithm for treatment may be developed with the aid of these principles. Distraction and the creation of spinal lordosis are necessary for reduction.