Cobb angle changes in thoracic and lumbar spine fractures following road traffic injuries in Gwagwalada, Abuja.
BACKGROUND
The annual incidence of spinal column fracture is 350 per million populations, with Motor vehicular accident being the major single cause of spine injuries. The victims are predominantly young and male. The aim of this study to evaluate the clinical outcome of conservative treatment of closed thoracic and lumbar spine fractures following RTI at UATH Gwagwalada Abuja by measuring the progression in kyphotic deformity.


METHODS
In this retrospective study, the age, gender, mechanism of the injury time of presentation, symptoms, type of fracture, serial Cobb angle of the plain radiology between 1st Jan 2008 and 31th December 2008 were were obtained studied from the case notes.


RESULTS
Sixteen patients with closed thoracic and lumbar fractures were seen during the review period. The male: female ratio was 3:1 with a mean age of 33.7 +/- 11.4 years (males = 32.4 +/- 7.9 years; females = 37.3 +/- 8.4 years). The peak incidence was in the month of July (18.8%). Ten (62.5%) patients presented within a week of the injury. The predominant symptom was back pain (100%). Commercial bus (56.3%) was the commonest mode of transportation causing RTI with spinal fractures. The first lumbar vertebral (L1) (25.0%) was the most frequently fracture spine and the commonest fracture pattern was compression fracture (56.3%). At the index evaluation, the mean Cobb angle was 28.3 degrees +/- 7.2 degrees with an average progression of 9.8 degrees +/- 4.2 degrees at twenty-four weeks of conservative treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
The thoracolumbar spine was the commonest fracture site and the commonest fracture pattern was compression fracture. The short-term clinical outcome of conservative treatment was not satisfactory.
Kawu
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AA
Spine Unit, Department of Orthopaedics, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, PMB 228, Abuja FCT. ahidjokawu@yahoo.com
D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001416:Back Pain / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005596:Fractures, Closed / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007738:Kyphosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D007902:Length of Stay; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult