Flexion–distraction injuries of the spine: Features of diagnostics, clinical picture, and results of surgical treatment of children

BACKGROUND: Flexion–distraction injuries of the spine result from high-energy trauma (traffic accidents and falls from a height). This type of injury is commonly found in the thoracolumbar junction. Among combined injuries in the presence of flexion–distraction fractures of the vertebral column, injuries of the chest or abdominal organs are often observed, which are crucial for patient survival, and their diagnostic measure is complex because of the severe and unstable conditions of the patients.

AIM: To analyze a cohort of pediatric patients who underwent surgery for flexion–distraction injury of the spine.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed the data of clinical and instrumental studies and surgical outcomes of 28 pediatric patients (aged 2–17 years) with flexion–distraction injuries of the spine. The standard preoperative examination included clinical and laboratory studies, spondylography, multislice spiral computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the damaged area, electrocardiography, and ultrasonography of the abdominal organs and kidneys. All patients underwent surgery for the correction and stabilization of traumatic spinal deformity with a multisupport metal structure and posterior local fusion. The analysis included an assessment of the mechanism of injury, concomitant injuries, time elapsed after the injury before admission to the hospital, level of the damaged segment, and treatment. Data were processed statistically using an online calculator. The nonparametric Mann–Whitney method was used.

RESULTS: Catatrauma was the leading cause of injury in 50% of the patients, compared with traffic accidents in 36%. In 80% of the patients, spinal injury was localized at the thoracolumbar junction and lumbar spine. Moreover, 71% of the patients were transferred to the National Research Center for Children’s Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery for surgical treatment on the spine in the early stages after injury (up to 7 days), and 8 children (19%) were admitted within 10–45 days (average 16 days). In 19 (68%) patients, in addition to spinal injury, concomitant injuries occurred, with skeletal trauma and injuries of the abdominal cavity organs as the most frequent. All patients achieved complete correction of the deformity at the level of the damaged segment.

CONCLUSIONS: Flexion–distraction fractures of the spine in children are characterized by a high incidence of concomitant injuries, which dictates the need for a full examination to identify them and correctly interpret the data. The elimination of mechanical instability in the early stages in this type of injury can reduce the extent of fixation and contribute to the restoration of the physiological profile and disk apparatus of the spinal column.