Surgical treatment of thoracolumbar fracture with incomplete lower limb paralysis in a patient with COVID-19

Abstract

Since December 2019, COVID-19, an acute infectious disease, has gradually become a global threat. We report a case of thoracolumbar fractures (T12 and L1) and incomplete lower limb paralysis in a patient with COVID-19. After a series of conservative treatment which did not work at all, posterior open reduction and pedicle screw internal fixation of the thoracolumbar fracture were performed in Wuhan Union Hospital. Three weeks later, the patient could stand up and the pneumonia is almost cured. We successfully performed a surgery in a COVID-19 patient, and to our knowledge it is the first operation for a COVID-19 patient ever reported.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• Vertebrate fracture
• Cytokine storm
• Surgery