title: A review of the management of thoracolumbar burst fractures.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Burst fractures account for more than half of all thoracolumbar fractures, which often cause a neurologic deficit and present a significant economic burden to the family and society. Accepted methods of treatment of thoracolumbar burst fractures include conservative therapy, posterior reduction and instrumentation, and anterior decompression and instrumentation. However, the management of thoracolumbar burst fractures has been the subject of much controversy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Publications reporting clinical data relating to the thoracolumbar burst fractures were reviewed. These articles were determined via review of the results of PubMed searches and articles gathered through compilation of references from those articles.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There exist different criteria for the choice of the management based on the severity of kyphotic deformity, canal compromise, vertebral height loss, and neurologic status. To our knowledge, none of the existing criteria for the treatment of thoracolumbar burst fractures are generally accepted.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In thoracolumbar burst fractures without a neurologic deficit, there is no superiority of conservative therapy over operative therapy. When the neurologic involvement is significant, the choice of operative management is advised. Also, there is no obvious superiority of one approach over the other.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200092, China. chinaspine@163.com
authors.forename: Li-Yang
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Sheng-Dan
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Xiang-Yang
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Lei-Sheng
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D017281:Cost of Illness; D019299:Decompression, Surgical / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery*; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000601:surgery*; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000379:methods*; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery*