Unstable fractures of the upper thoracic spine are a therapeutic challenge because of the high rate of associated injuries and frequent occurrence of spinal cord lesions. This study focuses on the operative treatment of these injuries. We present nine patients with unstable injuries of the upper thoracic spine. According to the classification of Magerl et al., there are seven type C and two type B fractures. Eight patients had complete transverse lesions of the cord and one had no evidence of spinal cord injury. All patients presented associated injuries: nine patients had fractured ribs, three a fractured sternum and three a severe haemothorax. All underwent operative treatment: six posterior fusions only, two anterior interbody fusions only after thoractotomy owing to severe bleeding from ruptured intercostal arteries, and one a combined fusion after failure of posterior fusion. The treatment of these patients should be individualized, depending on the associated injuries, loss of blood owing to fractured spine and ruptured vessels and depending on the back pain resulting from an unstable thorax. In general, we prefer the posterior approach to unstable fractures of the upper thoracic spine.
Five patients with hyperextension injuries and dorsally instable motion segments are presented. In the diagnosis of posterior instabilities plain roentgenograms demonstrated no characteristic signs of an injured cervical spine. Flexion and extension views detected a mild degree (2 mm) of retrospondylolisthesis in four cases and a widened disc space in one case. In all five patients the MR findings that made use suspect a posterior unstable motion segment were disc protrusions; in addition, in two patients these was hemorrhage in the spinal cord and in one patient cord edema.
The aim of this study is to present our early clinical experience using the Unreamed AO Femoral Nail (UFN). The UFN system combines the advantages of numerous proximal interlocking options for the treatment of nearly all femoral fractures patterns with those of unreamed nailing (biological osteosynthesis, preservation of the cortical blood supply, closed mediate reduction, primary stability, high degree of patient comfort). Operation time and blood loss are reduced by eliminating the reaming procedure. The risk of infection is minimized by avoiding dead space. The positioning of the patient on the operating table without the use of traction allows for a minimally invasive surgical procedure. Our report deals with intraoperative handling, intra- and postoperative complications and the prospective clinical outcome in using the solid femoral nail system in Austria. Within nearly 2 years (August 1994-April 1996) 52 closed fractures and four second-degree open fractures were stabilized using the unreamed femoral nail. In 12 cases we used the spiral blade interlocking technique. Four times we changed from external fixation to the UFN. According to the AO classification, we found 8 fractures of the proximal femur (A 1/1: 1; A3/1: 2; A3/3: 5) and 48 diaphyseal fractures (A1:4; A2: 7; A3: 16; B1: 5; B2: 6; B3: 6; C1: 1; C2: 2; C3: 1). Thirty patients were followed up over an average period of 9.1 months postoperatively. The clinical and radiological results were excellent in 20 cases; average fracture healing time was about 10.6 weeks.
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