Anaesthesia | Trauma | Thoracolumbar spinal injuries

Thoracolumbar spinal injuries
Session overview
Description
This session describes the pathophysiology surrounding thoracolumbar spine injury, the physiological consequences of such trauma and the management of unstable injury.

Learning objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:

• describe the gross anatomy of the thoracic and lumbar spine
• identify patients at risk of thoracolumbar spinal injury and how to assess them
• describe the physiological manifestations of acute thoracolumbar spinal cord disruption
• explain the management principles following thoracolumbar injury and commonly occurring complications

Thoracolumbar injuries are usually the result of trauma to the thoracic and lumbar spine. The nature of the trauma can range from high-energy road traffic collisions to simple falls, especially in older patients with coexisting osteoporosis.

Thoracolumbar fractures may also occur spontaneously in patients with other pathological comorbidities including osteoporosis or spinal neoplasms and metabolic diseases.

This session will focus on injuries to the thoracolumbar spine sustained through trauma.