ABSTRACT
I SURGICAL INDICATIONS An anterior decompression of the thoracolumbar spine in the setting of trauma is indicated for an incomplete neurological deficit with canal compromise or the inability to achieve an indirect posterior reduction. Indications for surgery include the presence of a neurological deficit, anterior canal compromise, local kyphosis >30 degrees, significant loss of anterior vertebral height, or late pain due to malunion or nonunion. The advantage to this approach is a direct and more predictable decompression. The disadvantage of an anterior approach is its morbidity, particularly diminished pulmonary function in a trauma patient with associated thoracic injuries and limited reserves (1).
