METHOD OF ESTIMATING INSTABILITY IN CASE OF THORACOLUMBAR TRANSITION INJURIES Russian patent published in 2010 - IPC A61B6/00 

FIELD: medicine.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to medicine, namely to vertebrology and neurosurgery, and can be applied in treatment of spine injuries in specialised departments of hospitals, centres and research institutes of traumatology and orthopedics (RI-TO). Radiography and CT-examination of injured spine segment and interpretation of obtained data are performed, height of vertebra bodies adjacent to the injured one being determined on anterior and posterior edge, and mean value of vertebra height is determined, which is taken as proper height if injured vertebra body. After that value of true height of injured body is divided by value of proper height obtaining index, transversal dimension of body being determined by measuring width of bodies adjacent with the injured one at the level of vertebra waist. After that index of transversal dimension is calculated by division of proper width value by the true one, interpedicular distance is determined by measurement of distance between roots of arches adjacent to the injured vertebra, further index is calculated by division of proper body width value by the true one. Degree of kyphotic spine deformation is determined by measurement of distance between anterosuperior angle of upper adjacent body and anteroinferior angle of lower adjacent body, as well as distance between posterosuperior angle of upper adjacent body and posteroinferior angle of lower adjacent body, after which value of anterior distance is divided by value of posterior one to obtain index. Deficit of spine canal lumen is determined by measurement on Computer tomographs of spine canal diametre in anteroposterior direction at the level of injured and adjacent to it bodies, proper canal diametre is calculated, index being determined by division of true dimention by proper one, and further on radiogramme interspinal distance is determined by measurement of distance between tops of spinous processes at the level of trauma, as well as at the level of uninjured segments, proper distance is determined, which is divided by the true one in order to determine index, degree of vertebra displacement is determined by measurement in lateral projection in case of dislocation of superincumbent vertebra forward with respect to distance between anteroinferior angle of superincumbent vertebra and posterosuperior angle of subjacent vertebra, in case of backward displacement of superincumbent vertebra - distance between anterosuperior angle of subjacent vertebra and posteroinferior angle of superincumbent vertebra. Proper values are calculated, index of displacement being determined by division of proper value by the true one, indices are calculated from 0 to 1.0, then added together and if sum of points of all values is less than 8, it testifies to instability of thoracolumbar transition, if instability index equals 6.6-7.8, injury is characterised as relatively stable; if instability index equals 5.1-6.5 - as moderate stability disturbance; if instability index equals 4.1-5.0, injury is characterised as severe disturbance of injured spine segment stability; and if instability index equals 2-4, injury is characterised as rude, complete disturbance of injured spine segment stability.

EFFECT: increase of accuracy and quality of pre-operative planning of surgical treatment method, as well as reduction of recurrence number.

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