75 cases of fractures in the dorsal and lumbar spine treated at the Orthopedic Department of the 17th Army Hospital in the year of 1966 to 1967 was analyzed and discussed.
1) Falling was the most common type of the fracture in this series and it was 50 cases out of 75.
2) Incidence of the fracture was higher in L-l vertebra including 32 out of 115 vertebrae and 74 out of 115 vertebrae were included in dorsolumbar junction.
3) Compression fracture was most common in this series as 99 out of 115 vertebral fractures, among them mild compression fracture was 67 cases.
4) 58 cases out of 75 were stable fractures and 17 cases were unstable fractures.
5) Calcaneal fracture were associated with in six cases of spine fractures caused by falling and Colle´s fracture, fracture of the malleoli, pelvis and neck of the femur were associated with in two cases respectively. Paraplegia in six cases, ileus in five cases, cerebral hemorrhage in two cases, occured as early complication. Infection in urinary tract in three cases, kindney stone in two cases, occurred as late complication.
6) Of the 58 cases of stable fractures 55 were treated by simple bed rest followed by active exercise of the back muscles in average of two weeks and three cases were teated, by manual reduction followed by hyArextension cast immobilization for three to four months. Of the 17 cases of unstable fractures included nine case of fracture dislocations, nine cases were treated by posterior spinal fusion, four were treated by laminectomy and two were treated by laminectomy and simultaneous spinal fusion.
7) Stable fractures treated by bed rest had better results than those treated by reduction and hyperextension cast. In unstable fracture and fracture dislocation in all of nine cases treated by early spinal fusion was asymptomatic, but four of five cases treated by hyperextension cast had lumbago.
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