• Ulrich Josef Spiegl, Max Joseph Scheyerer, Georg Osterhoff, Sebastian Grüninger, and Klaus John Schnake.
• Department of Orthopaedics, Trauma Surgery and Plastic Surgery, University of Leipzig, Liebigstr. 20, 04103, Leipzig, Germany. uli.spiegl@gmx.de.
• Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg. 2022 Jun 1; 48 (3): 1639-1647.

PurposeThe aim of this systematically review is to detect differences between fractures located at the mid-thoracic spine compared to fractures of the thoracolumbar junction (TLJ) and the lumbar spine in osteoporotic vertebral body fractures.MethodsThis review is based on articles retrieved by a systematic search in the PubMed and Web of Science database for publications regarding osteoporotic fractures of the thoracolumbar spine with respect to the fracture location. Differences in prevalence, cause of fracture, fracture healing, and outcomes between the mid-thoracic spine and the TLJ and the lumbar spine were considered.ResultsAltogether, 238 articles could be retrieved from the literature search. A total of 222 articles were excluded. Thus, 16 remaining original articles were included in this systematic review comprising the topics prevalence, bone mineral density and regional blood flow, biomechanics, subsequent fractures, and outcome, respectively. The overall level of evidence of the vast majority of studies was moderate to low.ConclusionSeveral differences between osteoporotic fractures of the mid-thoracic spine compared to the TLJ and the lumbar spine could be identified. Thereby, osteoporotic mid-thoracic fractures seem to be particularly more related to frailty without a history of traumatic injury compared to osteoporotic fractures of the TLJ and the lumbar spine. Additionally, the presence of severe mid-thoracic fractures predicts subsequent fractures of the hip. In contrast, subsequent fractures of the spine are less likely.© 2021. The Author(s).

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