Direct medical costs of traumatic thoracolumbar spine fractures.

Background The costs and cost-effectiveness of treatment of thoracolumbar fractures are poorly known.Methods We estimated the costs of hospital care and outpatient visits for patients with traumatic thoracolumbar spine fractures.Results Stable fractures without neurological deficits were treated nonoperatively and the costs were EUR 5,100. Unstable fractures without neurological deficits were treated either nonoperatively, with an average of 29 hospitalization days and average cost of EUR 12,500 (86% of which represented hospitalization costs), or operatively with 24 hospitalization days and average cost of EUR 19,700 (48% of which represented hospitalization costs and 42% surgery costs). Unstable fractures with neurological deficits were usually operated (average costs EUR 31,900).Interpretation For all patients, the costs of hospitalization days were the main cost driver. Although the length of stay for patients with unstable fractures and without neurological deficit who were treated operatively was sh...