ABSTRACT

Early diagnosis of upper thoracic spinal injuries has been shown to be very important. Failure of an early diagnosis during initial examination can cause a ten-fold increase in the probability of neurological deficit in patients. Fractures of the upper thoracic spine due to trauma may be associated with sternal injuries. The focus of this study is to attract the attention to the unstability caused by the combination of both spinal and sternal fractures. Patients in such conditions should be considered unstable and a treatment plan should be followed accordingly.