@article{ref1,
title="Injuries significantly associated with thoracic spine fractures: A case-control study",
journal="Emergency medicine Australasia",
year="2009",
author="Singh, R. and Taylor, David McD and D'Souza, Donna and Gorelik, Alexandra and Page, Phillip and Phal, Pramit",
volume="21",
number="5",
pages="419-423",
abstract="Objective: To determine injuries significantly associated with traumatic thoracic spine (T-spine) fractures Methods: This was a case-control study undertaken in an adult trauma centre. Cases were patients admitted with a traumatic T-spine fracture between January 1999 and August 2007. Each case had two controls matched for sex, age (+/-5 years) and injury severity classification (major/minor). Data were collected from patient medical records and the trauma service database. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine injuries significantly associated with T-spine fracture. Results: Two hundred and sixty-one cases and 512 controls were enrolled. In both groups, mean age was 41 years and 70% of patients were male. Univariate analysis revealed a range of injuries that were significantly more common among the cases, especially cervical and lumbar spine injuries, sternal/scapular/clavicular/rib fractures, pneumo/haemothorax and pulmonary contusions (P < 0.01). Skull fractures and lower limb injuries were significantly more common among the controls (P < 0.01). Logistic regression analysis revealed that only cervical and lumbar spine injuries and rib fractures were positively associated with T-spine fracture (P < 0.001). Skull fractures and lower limb injuries were negatively associated with T-spine injury (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Cervical and lumbar spine injuries and rib fractures are significantly associated with T-spine fracture. The presence of these injuries should raise suspicion of concomitant T-spine injury.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1742-6731",
doi="10.1111/j.1742-6723.2009.01209.x",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-6723.2009.01209.x"
}