Spinal Injuries and Associated Trauma in Children

Paediatric spinal injuries, although rare, are associated with the highest mortality rate of all orthopaedic injuries in children. A 5 years retrospective study was undertaken of all patients treated for a spinal injury at our institute. A total of 40 patients had a documented diagnosis of spinal injury. The area most commonly injured was the cervical spine (37.5%). The most common mechanism of injury was motor vehicle accident. Over 65% of the children sustained one or more associated injuries. The average Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) was 14 and the mean injury severity score was 18.95. Spinal injuries in children differ from adults due primarily to the biomechanical and anatomical features of the developing musculoskeletal system. When a spinal injury is identified on initial radiographic or clinical evaluation of an injured child, one should have a high index of suspicion that concurrent potentially life threatening injuries may be present.