普有登    　段洪

With the increase of the number of traffic and industrial accidents, the incidence of thoracolumbar burst fractures ( TBF ) is rising year by year. The thoracolumbar segment of the spine is particularly susceptible to direct damage by the conduction of violence due to the relatively concentrated stress, because it is in a transition region from the fixed kyphotic spine to the mobile lordotic spine. TBF account for about 75-95% in spinal trauma. When burst fractures occur to the vertebral body, it is easy for the retropulsed bone fragments to break into the vertebral canal with the results of the spinal cord or cauda equina injuries. In recent years, with the deepening study of TBF based on the medical imaging and biomechanics, some new theories and techniques related to the treatment also appear. In this article, the injury mechanism, classification, operative indications, approaches and surgical methods of TBF are summarized.