User:Mr. Ibrahem/Chance fracture

A Chance fracture, sometimes called seat-belt fracture, is a break across the vertebral body frequently associated with abdominal trauma. It is a type of spinal fracture that typically results from a sudden excessive bending forward of the mid-back over a lap belt during a motor vehicle collision (MVC), or from an intense impact to the abdomen following a fall from a height. Symptoms may include seat belt marks and abdominal injuries, or neurological symptoms.

The fracture is typically a result of a head-on vehicle collision, where the sudden slowing of speed causes a lap belt wearing passenger to suddenly be thrown forward over the belt. The hips cannot compensate as they remain held by the belt, and the vertebra becomes pulled apart. Being hit in the abdomen with an object like a tree or a fall may also result in this fracture pattern. It often involves disruption of all three columns of the vertebral body. The most common area affected is the lower thoracic and upper lumbar spine. The fracture is generally considered unstable.

Diagnosis is by medical imaging including CT scan. It may be mistaken for a simple compression fracture. Treatment may be conservative with the use of a brace or via surgery.

The fracture is rare. It was more common in the 1950s and 1960s before shoulder harnesses became common. Around half of severe abdominal injuries as a result of an MVC have an associated Chance fracture. G. Q. Chance first described the fracture in 1948.