Dorsal stabilisation has represented the standard procedure for the treatment of burst fractures of the thoracolumbar spine for a long time, but in the last few years the combined dorsoventral stabilisation has gained in significance due to its higher mechanical stability. However, there are no data yet available indicating whether the patients benefit from the combined operation with regard to their postoperative quality of life and what the advantages are in comparison with the dorsal procedures. Therefore, the question was researched in the framework of a matched-pairs analysis of patients suffering from an unstable fracture of the thoracolumbar transition.
