title: Burst Fractures as a Result of Attempted Suicide by Jumping.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Jumping from high place for the purpose of suicide results in various damages to body area. A burst fracture of vertebrae is representative of them and we reviewed eight patients who were diagnosed with spinal burst fracture following suicide falling-down. The demographics, characteristics, performed operation, combined injuries, psychological past histories of the patients were analyzed.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study was made of patients who are diagnosed with vertebral burst fracture from falling-down with the purpose of suicide admitted to department of neurosurgery of the author's hospital, covering the period between 2003 and 2012.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total eight patients were suicidal jumper. There were eleven vertebral burst fractures in eight patients and mean age was 26.5 years old. Seven patients already had psychological past history and there were various combined injuries except vertebrae burst fracture. The ankle fracture such as calcaneus, talus, navicular and malleolus was the most common injury and there were also various combined injury.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Suicidal jumper is different from incidental faller in some aspects because of different injury mechanism. For managing suicidal jumper, physician had to consider patients' age, affected site, psychiatric problem and combined injuries. Each department related to the injuries of patient have to cooperate each other with departments of psychiatry and rehabilitation from beginning to end.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Spine and Spinal Cord Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Do Young
authors.initials: do Y
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, International St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic Kwandong University, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Hong June
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Spine and Spinal Cord Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jeong Yoon
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Spine and Spinal Cord Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyung Hyun
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Spine and Spinal Cord Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Uk
authors.initials: SU
authors.lastname: Kuh
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Spine and Spinal Cord Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Dong Kyu
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Chin
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Spine and Spinal Cord Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Keun Su
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Spine and Spinal Cord Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yong Eun
authors.initials: YE
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, International St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic Kwandong University, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Byoung Ho
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Jin
keywords: Burst fracture; Spinal fractures; Suicide attemped; Vertebrae