Profile of Traumatic Spinal Injuries at a Tertiary Care Hospital

Spinal injury is a devastating injury, with its effect going beyond the injured patient to the care givers and family. The present study was carried out with an aim to know the pattern of traumatic injury to the spine in cases attending the emergency department of a tertiary care center in north Karnataka. During the study period, out of 3612 trauma cases which reported to the emergency department 40 cases had spinal injuries. Majority of traumatic spinal injuries were noticed in males, injuries were common in the age group of 2130years followed by equal proportion in the age group of 31–40 years and 41–50 years, road traffic accidents were the commonest cause of spinal injuries. 127 abnormal radiological findings related to spinal trauma were reported in 40 cases which were more common in cervical region followed by lumbar and thoracic region. Fractures and intervertebral disc bulge were the most common radiological findings. Fractures were more common in cervical region. Compression of the cord, epidural spinal hematoma, contusion of the cord, intervertebral disc annular tear, neuronal compression and thecal compression formed the various types of spinal injuries.