Abstract
Purpose of the study: Spinal injuries in children are rare and account for a low proportion of all childhood injuries. Due to anatomical and biomechanical properties of the growing spine, there are great differences between spinal injury in childhood and adulthood.
Because of higher mobility and elasticity of the spine and a lower body mass in children, spinal injuries are not frequent and represent only 2 to 5 % of all spinal injuries. In this retrospective study, the effectiveness of conservative and surgical treatment of injured spines in children is evaluated in a 10-year period.
Discussion: The results of this study confirm, in the majority of aspects, the conclusions of previously published papers. In some of the characteristics described above, however, our results are different, which can be explained by some specific features of care for injured children in the Czech Republic.
Conclusions: Childhood spinal injuries account for only 2 to 5 % of all spinal injuries and for 3.6 % of all skeletal injuries in children. Particularly at the age of 11 to 12 years, they differ significantly from spinal injuries in adults and therefore require different therapeutic approaches.
The cervical spine is affected most often in younger children, while the thoracolumbar spine in older children. Multi-segment injuries are typical in the childhood spine, particularly in smaller children.
Typically, children show SCIWORA and a more rapid improvement of neurological deficit than adults. Conservative treatment is preferred; surgery before 12 years of age is strictly individual, while after 12 years therapy is similar to that used in adults.