The study included adult patients treated for traumatic thoracic fractures with and without neurologic deficits from 1995 and 2008. The patients presented at a spine injury tertiary referral center. There were 126 patients with 135 fractures assessed with average follow up of six years.
The researchers found:
1. 53 percent of patients had complete spinal cord deficits on admission.
2. 78 percent patients received operative management.
3. Patients with thoracic fracture but without significant neurologic injury had similar SF-36 scores to the normal population at the six-year follow up.
4. Patients with more profound neurologic deficits remained inferior to normative data with the SF-36 scores at six years.
5. 57 percent of the patients were re-employed.
6. 25 percent of patients returned to previous job type.
7. Comorbidity was the only independent predictor of SF-36 scores.
8. Neurologic impairment and adverse events were independent predictors of the SF-36 score.
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