Study design: A case report.
Objectives: To document a fracture of the 11th thoracic vertebra after spine fusion for adult idiopathic scoliosis.
Summary of background data: Three cases of vertebral fractures associated with spine fusion for scoliosis were found in the literature.
Methods: Medical and radiologic records and related literature were reviewed.
Results: A 30-year-old woman had undergone anterior and posterior fusion with Cotrel-Dubousset instrumentation for progressive idiopathic scoliosis. Two years after surgery, she was in a car accident. A radiographic study and computer tomographic scanning depicted a fracture of T11 and bending of the rods. Observation was instituted and symptoms resolved.
Conclusions: Fracture of a vertebra within an extensive spine fusion for scoliosis is rare. The 360 degrees solid fusion together with strong posterior instrumentation may have had some protective effect in this patient.