A Burst fracture involves compression of which vertebral columns?

A Burst fracture involves compression of which vertebral columns?

• A. Anterior Only
• B. Anterior And Middle
• C. Middle And Posterior
• D. All Three

Answer: (B)

A Burst fracture results from a high-energy axial load that crushes the vertebral body, causing it to fragment and often pieces to be driven backward into the spinal canal. In the Denis three-column model, the vertebral body is divided into anterior and middle columns (with the posterior elements forming the posterior column). The pattern most typical of a burst fracture is injury to both the anterior and middle columns—the front and middle parts of the vertebral body are compressed and shattered. The posterior wall can fracture and allow bone fragments to retropulse into the canal, which can threaten the spinal cord, but this does not require disruption of the entire posterior column. So, the best description is compression of the anterior and middle columns.

A Burst fracture results from a high-energy axial load that crushes the vertebral body, causing it to fragment and often pieces to be driven backward into the spinal canal. In the Denis three-column model, the vertebral body is divided into anterior and middle columns (with the posterior elements forming the posterior column). The pattern most typical of a burst fracture is injury to both the anterior and middle columns—the front and middle parts of the vertebral body are compressed and shattered. The posterior wall can fracture and allow bone fragments to retropulse into the canal, which can threaten the spinal cord, but this does not require disruption of the entire posterior column. So, the best description is compression of the anterior and middle columns.