Traumatic thoracic spine spondyloptosis treated with spondylectomy and fusion

Abstract

Background:There are multiple surgical treatment options for traumatic thoracic spine spondyloptosis, a three-column spinal injury typically attributed to high-energy trauma.Case Description:A 20-year-old male presented with back deformity attributed to a fall. On neurological examination, he had complete spinal cord injury below the T6 level. Magnetic resonance and computed tomography imaging documented a T8 vertebral fracture and complete T7/T8 spondyloptosis. Six days following admission, he underwent a single posterior procedure consisting of a T8 spondylectomy and instrumented fusion from T5 to T11. The patient was mobilized in a wheelchair on the 3rd postoperative day and was discharged on the 11th day following admission. Three months later, the surgical construct was fused and the patient's neurological status remained unchanged.Conclusion:Here we present a patient who following a fall sustained a T7/T8 spondyloptosis resulting in paraplegia treated with a single posterior T8 spondylectomy with T5–T11 instrumented fusion.