L-spine - Burst fracture - Lateral
- Bone fragments of this comminuted L4 vertebral body fracture are posteriorly displaced into the spinal canal
- The line of the posterior ligament has been compromised - the fracture is therefore considered unstable
L-spine - Burst fracture - AP
- There is marked loss of vertebral body height
L-spine - Burst fracture - CT
- The CT image demonstrates the amount of spinal canal narrowing compared to a normal patient
- Narrowing of the spinal canal anywhere at the level of L1 or below risks injury to nerve roots of the cauda equina