Operative results of AO A3 and A4 traumatic injuries in the thoracic and lumbar spine. A multicenter surveillance study of 4230 patients from the German Spine Registry (DWG-Register).

BACKGROUND

The diagnosis, classification and treatment of thoracolumbar burst fractures, continue to be controversial. Surgery is generally the preferred treatment for unstable fractures while stable fractures are managed conservatively. This study aims to describe surgical procedures, outcomes, complications, demography, clinical features and differences between A3 and A4 fractures (AO classification) of the thoracolumbar region. A subgroup of patients <91 years with osteoporotic fractures is included and analyzed.

METHODS

Analysis of data from the DWG-Register German spine registry on operative treatment for thoracolumbar AO A3 and A4 fractures out of 170 departments from January 2017 to May 2021. The evaluated variables included age, gender, surgical approach (posterior, anterior combined), and re-operation.

RESULTS

In total, 4230 AO A3 and A4 thoracolumbar fractures were identified in the registry; 2898 A3 (group 1) and 1332 A4 (group 2). The preoperative ASIA-impairment scale score in group 1 was significantly different compared with group 2 (P=0.02). Surgical procedures such as decompression/stabilization with rod-screw system cemented/non-cemented, as well as an anterior approach, were statistically significant between the groups. Odds ratio was calculated for variables that could be influenced for the type of fracture (A3 or A4): decompression 4.89, OR time >2 hours 48.22, osteoporosis 6.46 and posterior access 9.85.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides multicenter results from a huge number of surgically treated AO A3 and A4 fractures. Anterior approaches are more often used in A4 type fractures, probably because of its inherent instability related to burst fractures, surprisingly, not associated with the occurrence of added perioperative complications. Nevertheless, A3 type fractures are presented with worse ASIA Impairment-Scale at admission, in comparison with A4 type fractures of the thoracolumbar region.