title: Injuries significantly associated with thoracic spine fractures: a case-control study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine injuries significantly associated with traumatic thoracic spine (T-spine) fractures
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a case-control study undertaken in an adult trauma centre. Cases were patients admitted with a traumatic T-spine fracture between January 1999 and August 2007. Each case had two controls matched for sex, age (+/-5 years) and injury severity classification (major/minor). Data were collected from patient medical records and the trauma service database. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine injuries significantly associated with T-spine fracture.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two hundred and sixty-one cases and 512 controls were enrolled. In both groups, mean age was 41 years and 70% of patients were male. Univariate analysis revealed a range of injuries that were significantly more common among the cases, especially cervical and lumbar spine injuries, sternal/scapular/clavicular/rib fractures, pneumo/haemothorax and pulmonary contusions (P < 0.01). Skull fractures and lower limb injuries were significantly more common among the controls (P < 0.01). Logistic regression analysis revealed that only cervical and lumbar spine injuries and rib fractures were positively associated with T-spine fracture (P < 0.001). Skull fractures and lower limb injuries were negatively associated with T-spine injury (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cervical and lumbar spine injuries and rib fractures are significantly associated with T-spine fracture. The presence of these injuries should raise suspicion of concomitant T-spine injury.
authors.affiliation: Medical School, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Ranjit
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McD Taylor
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: D'Souza
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gorelik
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Page
authors.forename: Pramit
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Phal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009104:Multiple Trauma; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012272:Ribs / Q000293:injuries; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000150:complications*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries*; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D014739:Victoria