Radiographic evaluation of thoracolumbar fractures.

The data presented in this report support the selection of computerized body tomography to augment standard films in the assessment of thoracolumbar fractures when a more definitive assessment of the posterior elements of the spine or the neural canal is desired. The advantages of computerized axial tomography include (1) accuracy in assessing the integrity of the neural canal; (2) determination of injuries to other organ systems; (3) accuracy in determining the mechanism of injury and the degree of instability; and (4) the ability to obtain a tomograph while the patient is in the supine position in less and with ten times less radiation than is required for conventional tomography.