Pathologic spinal fracture
What is it?
A pathologic fracture is a break in a bone caused by an underlying disease. Some diseases weaken the bones of the spine to the extent that minor trauma could cause a fracture in the diseased bone. Pathologic fractures are frequently caused by tumors, tumor metastasis, osteoporosis, infection, and osteomalacia.
Symptoms
Pathologic vertebral fractures do not always cause symptoms. If pathologic fractures cause symptoms, these are usually pain and neurological impairment in the back, arms and legs.
Diagnosis
In order to diagnose a pathological fracture, the following diagnostic procedures are performed: X-ray, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography scan (CT scan).
Treatment
The goals of treatment are pain relief, reversal or stabilization of neurological deficits, and stabilization of the spine. For less severe pathologic fractures nonoperative treatments are usually sufficient. These include taking pain medications, limiting physical activity, and wearing a brace. Spine surgery is considered if the spine appears to be unstable or if there is significant compression of the neural elements. Such procedures may also require a spinal fusion to stabilize the spine until it heals.