Predictive Value of Computed Tomography Scan for Posterior Ligamentous Complex Injuries in Patients with Thoracolumbar Spinal Fractures

Background: Thoracolumbar spinal fractures include a range of injuries of various severities from simple apophyseal fractures to neurological injury and complex fractures associated with vertebral dislocation. The treatment of thoracolumbar fractures is challenging, especially due to the difficulty of evaluating the posterior ligamentous complex (PLC). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of computed tomography (CT) scan in predicting PLC injuries in the patients with thoracolumbar spinal fractures referring to the referral center of spinal trauma in the east north of Iran in 2016. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on patients with thoracolumbar injuries referring to Shahid Kamyab Hospital in Mashhad, east north of Iran, in 2016. The data were collected by entering the data of medical records into special forms. The classification of spinal fractures was accomplished using the AO Spine Classification System. Results: According to the results, 71 (71.7%) patients were male, and the subjects had a mean age of 44.6±17.7 years. The PLC injury was observed in 28 (28.3%) patients. The PLC injury showed a significant relationship with facet joint widening, increased interspinous process distance, and spinous process avulsion fracture (P<0.05). Conclusion: As the findings of this study indicated, the diagnostic results of PLC injury by means of CT scan was similar to those obtained by magnetic resonance imaging in patients with thoracolumbar spinal fractures. Level of evidence: III