Trends and Contributing Factors in Medicolegal Cases Involving Spine Surgery.

Study Design: Retrospective descriptive study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe closed medicolegal cases involving physicians and spine surgery in Canada from a trend and patient safety perspective.

Summary Of Background Data: Spine surgery is a source of medicolegal complaints against surgeons partly owing to the potential severity of associated complications.

Seizure-induced thoracolumbar burst fractures - Not to be missed.

While rare, post-ictal thoracolumbar burst fractures are commonly missed due to confounding factors, resulting in delayed treatment and the potential for serious neurological deficits. This paper serves as a call for a high-degree of clinical suspicion when treating post-ictal patients to ensure they undergo a focused neurological examination of the lower extremities. If unresponsive/uncooperative, spinal precautions should be maintained until the spine can be cleared clinically or radiographically.