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. 2018 Sep;8(2 Suppl):46S-49S.
doi: 10.1177/2192568217717972. Epub 2018 Sep 7.

Classification of Osteoporotic Thoracolumbar Spine Fractures: Recommendations of the Spine Section of the German Society for Orthopaedics and Trauma (DGOU)

Klaus John Schnake  1 , Thomas R Blattert  2 , Patrick Hahn  3 , Alexander Franck  4 , Frank Hartmann  5 , Bernhard Ullrich  6 , Akhil Verheyden  7 , Sven Mörk  8 , Volker Zimmermann  9 , Oliver Gonschorek  10 , Michael Müller  11 , Sebastian Katscher  12 , Andre El Saman  13 , Gholam Pajenda  14 , Robert Morrison  15 , Christian Schinkel  16 , Stefan Piltz  17 , Axel Partenheimer  18 , Christian W Müller  19 , Erol Gercek  20 , Michael Scherer  21 , Nabila Bouzraki  22 , Frank Kandziora  23 ; Spine Section of the German Society for Orthopaedics and Trauma
Affiliations

Classification of Osteoporotic Thoracolumbar Spine Fractures: Recommendations of the Spine Section of the German Society for Orthopaedics and Trauma (DGOU)

Klaus John Schnake et al. Global Spine J. 2018 Sep.

Abstract

Study design: Expert opinion.

Objectives: Osteoporotic vertebral fractures are of increasing medical importance. For an adequate treatment strategy, an easy and reliable classification is needed.

Methods: The working group "Osteoporotic Fractures" of the Spine Section of the German Society for Orthopaedics and Trauma (DGOU) has developed a classification system (OF classification) for osteoporotic thoracolumbar fractures. The consensus decision followed an established pathway including review of the current literature.

Results: The OF classification consists of 5 groups: OF 1, no vertebral deformation (vertebral edema); OF 2, deformation with no or minor (<1/5) involvement of the posterior wall; OF 3, deformation with distinct involvement (>1/5) of the posterior wall; OF 4, loss of integrity of the vertebral frame or vertebral body collapse or pincer-type fracture; OF 5, injuries with distraction or rotation. The interobserver reliability was substantial (κ = .63).

Conclusions: The proposed OF classification is easy to use and provides superior clinical differentiation of the typical osteoporotic fracture morphologies.

Keywords: classification; osteoporotic vertebral fractures; reliability; thoracolumbar.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Schematic representation of the 5 OF subtypes (OF 1-5).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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