Computed tomography of thoracic and lumbar spine fractures that have been treated with Harrington instrumentation

Conference · Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1984 · Radiology; (United States)

OSTI ID:6601064

Golimbu, C; Firooznia, H; Rafii, M; Engler, G; Delman, A

Twenty patients with fractures of the thoracic and lumbar spine underwent computed tomography (CT) following Harrington distraction instrumentation and a spinal fusion. CT was done to search for a cause of persistent cord or nerve root compression in those patients who failed to improve and completely recover their partial neurologic deficit (14 cases). The most common abnormality was the presence of residual bone fragments originating in the burst fracture of a vertebral body displaced posteriorly, into the spinal canal. In patients with complications in the late recovery period, CT found exuberant callus indenting the canal or lack of fusion of the bone grafts placed in the anterolateral aspect of the vertebral bodies. This experience indicates that CT is the modality of choice for spinal canal evaluation in those patients who fail to have an optimal clinical course following fractures of the thoracic and lumbar spine treated with Harrington rods.

• Research Organization: New York Univ. Medical Center, New York
• OSTI ID: 6601064
• Report Number(s): CONF-8311191-
• Journal Information: Radiology; (United States), Vol. 151:3; Conference: 69. annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, Chicago, IL, USA, 13 Nov 1983
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
BONE FRACTURES
DIAGNOSIS
VERTEBRAE
COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY
MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGES
NERVES
PATIENTS
SPINAL CORD
BODY
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
INJURIES
NERVOUS SYSTEM
ORGANS
SKELETON
TOMOGRAPHY
550602* - Medicine- External Radiation in Diagnostics- (1980-)