PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether a correlation exists between the traumatic narrowing of the spinal canal, potentially associated lamina fractures and the early neurological status of patients presenting to the hospital with burst fractures of the cauda equina area. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective review was carried out on 42 patients with 43 burst-type fractures of L3, L4 and L5 treated at a tertiary medical trauma center from January, 1990 to December, 2004. Results were based on comparisons made between the initial neurological deficit and the midsaggital diameter of the fractured vertebrae. RESULTS: The only predictive independent variable of the neurological deficit was the narrowing of the spinal canal (p=0.008). The average narrowing of the spinal canal was greater in patients with associated lamina fractures (p<0.001). However, multiple independent analyses did not establish lamina fractures as a predictive factor for neurological deficit. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that, in burst fractures of the cauda equina area, the acute traumatic spinal canal narrowing, with or without associated fractures of the lamina, shows a statistically significant positive correlation with the neurological deficit.
Spinal Fractures; Spinal injuries; Spinal canal
