Iatrogenic vertebral body compression fracture in a premature infant caused by extreme flexion during positioning for a lumbar puncture

Abstract

We present a case of vertebral body compression fracture that resulted from manual flexion of the spine of a premature infant in preparation for a lumbar puncture. Vertebral body fractures due to abnormal flexion in child abuse have been described. However, such fractures due to lumbar puncture-related positioning have not been reported. We present a pre-term infant who developed an L3 vertebral body compression fracture immediately after lumbar puncture.