Occurrence of malignant vertebral fractures in an emergency room setting.

Background: To perform a risk analysis study to determine the probability of a spinal fracture being of malignant origin in patients presenting at a level I trauma centre emergency room after trauma.

Patients And Methods: Data from 334 consecutive patients were retrospectively obtained from 1993 to 2003. They were divided into two groups: group 1--(benign) traumatic fractures; and group 2--malignant fractures (n = 32).