title: THORACOLUMBAR BURST FRACTURES: CORRELATION BETWEEN KYPHOSIS AND FUNCTION POST NON-OPERATIVE TREATMENT.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the correlation between kyphosis and post-traumatic symptoms in patients undergoing conservative treatment for thoracolumbar burst fractures.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study was carried out with 36 patients meeting the inclusion criteria for this kind of fracture classified as Denis and Magerl's subtype A3 and treated with anti-gravitational casting or TLSO. The mean age of patients was 50.83 years, ranging from 13 to 83 years, being 20 male and 16 female subjects. The treatment outcome was evaluated based on the SF-36 questionnaire, on Denis scores for pain and work and Frankel clinical and neurological scale. The quantification of pain was based on the visual analogue scale for pain. The measurement of the residual kyphosis was obtained by the Cobb method at admission and at the end of the follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A weak positive correlation (r = 0.563; p > 0.001) was found between residual kyphosis and pain score (EVA). No correlation was found between final kyphosis and SF-36 and Denis scores (p > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is no evident correlation between residual kyphosis, functional outcome and patients' symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Director, Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, School of Medical Sciences, Santa Casa de Misericórdia de São Paulo (SCMSP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Osmar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Avanzi
authors.affiliation: Head, Spine Group, Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, School of Medical Sciences, Santa Casa de Misericórdia de São Paulo (SCMSP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Meves
authors.affiliation: Assistant, Spine Group, Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, School of Medical Sciences, Santa Casa de Misericórdia de São Paulo (SCMSP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Fernanda
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Silber Caffaro
authors.affiliation: Resident, Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, School of Medical Sciences, Santa Casa de Misericórdia de São Paulo (SCMSP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: João Paris
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Buarque de Hollanda
authors.affiliation: Resident, Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, School of Medical Sciences, Santa Casa de Misericórdia de São Paulo (SCMSP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Queiroz
keywords: Kyphosis; Spinal fractures/complications; Spinal fractures/therapy; Treatment outcome