ArticleGlobal spine journal2021
No Need for Sternal Fixation in Traumatic Sternovertebral Fractures: Outcomes of a 10-Year Retrospective Cohort Study.
Article in Global spine journal, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- How to assess applicability and methodological quality of comparative studies of operative interventions in orthopedic trauma surgery.European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2022Pooled it
- Current treatment and outcomes of traumatic sternovertebral fractures: a systematic review.European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2021Pooled it
- Epidemiology and outcomes of traumatic sternal fractures and associated blunt cardiac injury: a nationwide cohort study in the Netherlands.European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2026Article
- A Sternal Fracture Associated With Cervical Spinal Fracture.Clinical case reports · 2025Article
- Treatment approach for coexisting chest wall fractures and unstable thoracolumbar spine fractures in polytrauma patients requiring prone spine surgery.Trauma surgery & acute care open · 2024Article
- Traumatic Sternal Fractures can be Safely Treated Conservatively - A 13-Year Retrospective Cohort Study.Journal of surgery and research · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
STUDY
designRetrospective cohort study.
objectivesCombined sternal and spinal fractures are rare traumatic injuries and present a high risk of spinal and thoracic wall instability. Limited research has addressed the treatment of sternovertebral injuries and biomechanical need for sternal fixation to achieve spinal healing.
methodsA 10-year retrospective cohort study was conducted, including patients with sternovertebral fractures admitted to our level-1 trauma centre between 2007 and 2016. Patients who died during hospital admission, military patients, patients with isolated upper cervical spine or lower lumbar spine fractures, and patients lost to follow-up were excluded.
resultsIn 10 years, 73 patients with sternovertebral fractures were included. Mean injury severity score was 24 (range 4-57). Most sternal fractures were located in the sternal body and manubrium. Spinal fractures were type A (52%), B (40%), or C (8%), and were located in the subaxial cervical (21%), upper thoracic (16%), thoracic (21%), thoracolumbar (47%) area; 7 patients had spinal fractures at multiple levels. Fourteen patients (19%) had a neurological deficit. A total of 42 patients received conservative and 31 patients received operative spinal treatment. Two patients (3%) underwent primary sternal fixation. Sternal failure rate was 1% and biomechanical spinal failure rate was 8%, there was no difference in treatment failure between surgical and conservative spinal treatment. Associated thoracic injuries did not influence sternal or spinal treatment outcomes.
conclusionsThese findings indicate that conservative sternal treatment in presence of spinal fractures is safe and effective. The low spinal treatment failure rates imply that sternal fixation is not necessary to achieve spinal stability.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.