Traumatic spinal cord injury currently affects approximately 285,000 persons in the United States and carries with it significant morbidity and cost. Early management focuses on adequate ventilation and hemodynamic resuscitation of the patient and limiting motion of the spine to prevent a second injury. Medical management targets maintenance of adequate blood flow to the spinal cord, whereas surgical management focuses on decompression, realignment, and stabilization of the vertebral column. In this chapter, we discuss the approach to the patient with traumatic spinal cord injury, injury types, and medical and surgical management.
This review contains 9 figures, 4 tables and 30 references
Key Words: American Spinal Injury Association score, burst fracture, Chance fracture, compression fracture, hangman, mean arterial pressure therapy, odontoid fracture, spinal cord injury, traction