Posterolateral approach in the treatment of unstable vertebral body fractures of the thoracic-lumbar junction with incomplete spinal cord injury in the paediatric age group.

Objects: Our retrospective study was carried out to demonstrate the value of, indications for, and results of use of the posterolateral approach (PLA) with decompression and instrumental stabilisation in paediatric patients with unstable vertebral body fractures at the thoracic-lumbar junction.

Methods: Fourteen patients aged 7-14 years were operated on from 1990 to 2000. All these patients were admitted with unstable vertebral body fractures at the thoracic-lumbar junction with incomplete spinal injuries and were operated on within 24 h after sustaining the trauma: a PLA was used to achieve unilateral or bilateral spinal canal decompression and instrumental stabilisation with the Cotrel-Dubousset instrumentation.