Evaluation of Vertebral Fractures and Associated Injuries in Multiple Trauma Patients

INTRODUCTION: In this study, it was aimed to determine the accompanying organ injuries and their frequencies in trauma patients diagnosed with vertebral fracture in the emergency department.
METHODS: In this study, trauma patients aged 18 years and older and with at least one vertebral corpus fracture who applied to the Emergency Department of Manisa Celal Bayar University Hospital between January 2016 and December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. In addition to vertebral fractures, the mechanism of trauma, accompanying organ injuries, the intervention and the prognosis of the patients were examined.
RESULTS: Of the patients, %72 were male and the mean age was 46,07. The two most common trauma mechanisms causing vertebral fracture were falling from height and traffic accident. The vertebral region most affected by trauma was the thoracolumbar (28.7%) region. Compression fracture was detected in 52% of the patients, and burst fracture was detected in 19,3% of the patients. Thoracic injuries were detected in 41.3% of the patients, and extremity injuries in 26%, and these were the most common injuries accompanying vertebral fractures. In our study, concomitant cranial and maxillofacial injuries in cervical vertebral fractures and concomitant thoracic injuries in thoracic vertebral fractures were found to be significantly higher.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Traffic accidents and falling from a height were determined as the two most common causes of vertebral fracture and were thought to be preventable causes. In addition, although distant traumas accompanied the affected vertebral region in vertebral fractures, it was observed that traumas of nearby structures were more common in general.