Traumatic lumbar spondylolisthesis, a rare pathology with forensic implications

Abstract

The authors present two cases of traumatic spondylolisthesis operated during the period Jan. 2009 May 2012, at the Department of Neurosurgery IV of the “Bagdasar Arseni” Emergency Hospital in Bucharest. The traumatic biomechanical conditions were different in the two cases and are presented in the article. Traumatic spondylolisthesis is very rare and usually occurs in competitive sports or road accidents. This has direct forensic implications concerning the analysis of traumatic spondylolisthesis, as well as any traumatic spinal cord injury resulting in neurologic impairment. Symptoms include spinal instability and various neurological syndromes, from simple radiculopathies to cauda equina syndrome. There are usually other thoraco-abdominal injuries associated as well, and treatment generally involves surgical intervention which entails rapid surgical decompression and solid spinal stabilization