Keywords:
Trauma, Education and training, Acute, Education, Diagnostic procedure, Decision analysis, Plain radiographic studies, MR, CT, Neuroradiology spine, Musculoskeletal bone
Authors:
A. Al-Taie, H. A. Aboughalia, A. Y. I. Taha, A. H. Marioud, S. I. Alam; Doha/QA
DOI:
10.1594/essr2016/P-0077
Background
Injuries’ classifications are proposed to create a common language among the members of the healthcare team which is crucial for sound clinical management of injured patients.
Trials to classify traumatic vertebral injuries were based on either mechanism of injury e.g.
Böhler,
different mechanistic descriptors of vertebral column e.g.
Denis three column theory or a combination of both main mechanism of injury,
pathomorphological uniformity e.g.
Magerl’s AO system.
Using Magerl’s AO system,
the AO spine classification group (AOSCG) sat for a revised classification system to address the criticism given to Magerl’s system that it has too many details reducing both inter-observer and intra-observer reliability.
Clinical application of this classification will be illustrated later on in a case based approach.
Furthermore,
a survey was given to Spine Trauma Study Group to identify similarities in treatment algorithms for common thoracolumbar injuries as well as to identify characteristics of injury that played a key role in the decision-making process.
This survey named,
the thoracolumbar injury classification and severity score (TLICS),
was based on three major categories: the morphology of the injury; the integrity of the posterior ligamentous complex; and the neurologic status of the patient.
This aims for a more simple and straightforward approach in classifying patients.