BACKGROUND CONTEXT The epidemiology of cervical spine fractures and associated spinal cord injury (SCI) has not previously been estimated within the American population. PURPOSE To determine the incidence of cervical spine fractures and associated SCI and identify potential risk factors for these injuries in a large multicultural military population. STUDY DESIGN Query of a prospectively co...

UNLABELLED SUBAXIAL CERVICAL FACET DISLOCATION INJURIES: STANDARDS There is insufficient evidence to recommend treatment standards. GUIDELINES There is insufficient evidence to recommend treatment guidelines. OPTIONS Closed or open reduction of subaxial cervical facet dislocation injuries is recommended. Treatment of subaxial cervical facet dislocation injuries with rigid external immobil...

The evaluation and management of cervical spine injuries is a core component of the practice of emergency medicine. This article focuses on evaluation and management of blunt cervical spine trauma by the emergency physician. Pertinent anatomy of the cervical spine and specific cervical spine fractures are discussed, with an emphasis on unstable injuries and associated spinal cord pathology. The...

BACKGROUND Total spondylolisthesis, or dislocation of 1 cervical vertebrae, is only caused by high-energy trauma and is usually fatal. Cervical spine fractures and dislocations often cause 3-column structural damage to the cervical spine, injury to the spinal cord, and precipitating alignment of the cervical vertebrae, as well as cervical instability, which are detrimental, show poor prognosis,...

STUDY DESIGN National registry cohort study. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of surgical stabilization on survival of spinal fractures related to ankylosing spondylitis (AS). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Spinal fractures related to AS are associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Multiple studies suggest a beneficial effect of surgical stabilization i...

In the setting of spinal trauma, the bone, ligaments, spinal cord, and vascular structures may be injured. Anatomically, the vertebral bony spine can be divided into structural columns. The cervical spine is traditionally divided into two columns— anterior and posterior. The anterior column consists of the load-bearing vertebral bodies, intervertebral disks, anterior longitudinal ligament, and ...

Fig. 1.-Case 1: Sagittal MR image (700/20; 0.5 T) shows marked atrophy of cord (arrows) extending from C7 to T3. Thoracic spinal cord is normal. No fractures or subluxations are present. Fig. 2.-Case 2: Sagittal magnified MR image (700/20; 1.5 T) shows severe atrophy of cervical spinal cord at T1 and T2. Linear areas of isointense signal intensity in thecal sac (arrows) posterior to region of c...

Odontoid fractures are relatively common upper cervical spine injuries, comprising up to 20% of cervical spine fractures. The treatment of odontoid fractures remains controversial, and is evolving with the advent of new fixation methods. Recently, many endoscopically-assisted procedures have been performed for various types of spinal surgeries to minimize invasiveness and to avoid soft tissue i...

Fractures of the occipital condyle are rare. Their prompt diagnosis is crucial since there may be associated cranial nerve palsies and cervical spinal instability. The fracture is often not visible on a plain radiograph. We report the case of a 21-year-old man who sustained an occipital condylar fracture without any associated cranial nerve palsy or further injuries. We have also reviewed the l...

Spinal deformity has classically and historically been studied by those in the discipline of orthopedic surgery. This may be attributable to the orthopedic interventionalists' experience with osseous fixation for long-bone and other skeletal fractures. Neurosurgeons have maintained a long-standing interest in complex cervical spinal disorders, and their interest in the larger field of complex s...