SPINE TRAUMA

Objectives: To determine the etiology and level of spine trauma in patientspresenting in tertiary care hospital of Pakistan. Study Design: Descriptive, cross-sectional study.Setting: This study was conducted at the Department of Neurosurgery, Pakistan Institute ofMedical Sciences (PIMS), Islamabad, from September 20th, 2014 to March 20th, 2015. Subjects:The patients in the study were of both genders, between 15 to 80 years of age (N=315, meanage 38.17 years, SD 17.31). Materials and Methods: All 315patientsbetween 15 to 80 yearsof age with spine trauma presenting to the Neurosurgery department of PIMS, Islamabadconsented to participate in the study. All these patients had underwent thorough history andphysical examination after stabilization and initial emergency management. X-ray spine wascarefully reviewed and patient details, bio-data, etiology of trauma, spinal injury type, level,neurological status and diagnosis were recorded. Results: The most frequently affected agegroup presenting with spine trauma were young and between 15 to 30 years of age (17.1%).The most frequent etiologies seen for spine injury were falls; 158 (50.2%) followed by RTA’s;129 (41%). The most common level of spine trauma presentation was at the lumbar spine;142 (45.1%) followed by thoracic spine fractures; 80 (25.4%). Conclusion: Lumbar spine andyounger male people are more prone to spinal injuries in Pakistan. The most frequent reasonfor the trauma was due to falls followed by road traffic accidents.