THE FUNCTIONAL PROGNOSIS OF THORACOLUMBAR VERTEBRAE FRACTURES WITHOUTNEUROLOGICAL DEFICIT - A LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP-STUDY OF BRITISH ARMY PERSONNEL

Seventy-three British Army personnel were followed up for a mean of 64 (range 6-120) months after sustaining a thoracolumbar vertebral fract ure without neurological deficit. Road-traffic accidents were the comm onest cause of injury. An excellent functional outcome was achieved in 74 per cent of cases, good in 15 per cent, fair in 10 per cent and po or in 1 per cent. The functional outcome was not significantly affecte d by the fracture type, severity, region or treatment received. This s tudy has important medico-legal implications.