Comparison of anterolateral and posterior approaches in the management of thoracolumbar burst fractures.

Object: The authors undertook a retrospective cohort study of patients with T11-L2 thoracolumbar burst fractures who underwent decompression and the placement of instrumentation via the anterolateral or posterior approach.

Methods: There were 63 thoracolumbar burst fractures in 45 male and 18 female patients. The instrumentation was placed posteriorly in 25 patients and anterolaterally in 38.