INTRODUCTION:
Thoracic and lumbar spine fractures encompass a wide range of injuries, ranging from stable fractures to complex fractures and dislocations. The dorsal and lumbar spines are split into three parts anatomically and functionally: the dorsal spine (D1-D10), the dorsolumbar junction (D10-L2), and the lumbar spine (L3-L5).
Thoracolumbar trauma is frequently associated with injuries to the chest and abdomen. These include haemo or pneumothorax, hepatic or splenic lacerations, aortic injuries and intestinal injuries.
As a result, well understanding the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms as well as the corresponding principles of surgical management are required for the successful treatment of polytrauma patients.

AIM OF THE WORK:
This study reported the incidence of skeletal and extraskeletal injuries associated with high energy thoracic and lumbar spine fractures in patients admitted to the ER of Alexandria Main University Hospital (AMUH) over the entire year of 2020.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:
PATIENTS:
Patients included in the study were admitted to the ER of AMUH from the 1st of January 2020 to the 31stof December 2020 and had different thoracic and lumbar spine fractures and they were treated either inside or outside AMUH.