Operative treatment of new onset XXXX secondary to combat injury.

@entity1 @entity614 @entity130
We set out to describe combat-related spine @entity130 over a 10-year period, and thereby determine the frequency of new onset @entity614 secondary to injuries sustained in support of combat operations. We performed a retrospective analysis of a surgical database at three military institutions. @entity1 undergoing spine surgery following a combat-related injury in Afghanistan or Iraq between July 2003 and July 2013 were evaluated. We identified 105 @entity1 with combat-related (Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom) spine @entity130 requiring operative intervention. Of these, 15 (14.3%) @entity1 had @entity614 as their primary complaint after injury. All @entity1 were diagnosed with herniated nucleus pulposus. The average age was 39 years, with 80% injured in Iraq and 20% in Afghanistan. The most common mechanism of injury was mounted improvised explosive device (33%). The cervical spine was most commonly involved (53%), followed by lumbar spine (40%). Average time from injury to surgery was 23.4 months; 53% of @entity1 had continued symptoms following surgery, and two @entity1 had at least one revision surgery. Two @entity1 were medically retired because of their symptoms. This study is the only of its kind evaluating the operative treatment of @entity614 following combat-related @entity130 . We identified a relatively high rate of @entity614 in these @entity1 .
