Management of a high thoracic chance fracture

Abstract

Purpose: Chance fracture of the high thoracic spine is rare, and its impact on the adjacent cervical spine can be important. Methods: We present the case of a 16-year-old male, who fell down from a 2 m height, in an unknown context as he has a mental retardation, and no witness saw the accident. Initial CT scan revealed a comminuted depressed fracture of the right parietal bone, associated with a chance fracture at the level of T3 with a kyphosis and bilateral lung contusion. Results: The patient underwent neurosurgical treatment for elevation and reconstruction of the parietal fracture; he also underwent, 2 days later, a posterior spinal correction and fusion with T1-to-T5 instrumentation. The patient returned to normal walking on day 7 with a satisfactory clinical and radiological result at 1 year. Conclusion: Literature is sparse on the treatment of high thoracic chance fractures. The current case shows that early surgical management should prevent a secondary kyphotic deformity that may need a more aggressive treatment at a later stage.