The cervical spinal fractures : comparison of the sites and incidences according to the causes and the types of the injuries

Cho, Jae Ho; Cho, Kil Ho; Byun, Woo Mock; Kim, Sun Yong; Park, Bok Hwan

Abstract

The fractures of the cervical spine are relatively uncommon, but they may cause serious neurologic deficits temporarily or permanently. So, it is very important to treat the patients early by way of exact evaluation for the sites and the mechanisms of the injuries. The authors reviewed retrospectively 188 cervical spinal fractures in 100 patients from Sep. 1984 to Aug. 1990. Commonly involed levels were C5 and C6 in lower cervical level and C2 in upper cervical level and the sites in each spine were body; lamina and odontoid process. The hyperflexion injury was the most common type of the cervical spinal fractures occupying 53% of all cervical fractures and cause more multipe fractures(2.26 fractures/patient) than in hyperextension (1. 68 fractures/patient). In hyperflexion injuries, body, transverse and spinous process were commonly involved but lamina fracture was relatively common in hyperextension injury. The dislocations associated with fractures were developed most commonly in hyperflexion injury and 70% of these were anterior dislocation and the most commonly involved levels were C5-6 and C6-7. In conclusion, hyperflexion injury needs more close examination for the entire spinal levels than injuries of other mechanisms because it results in more severe fractures with or without dislocation and relatively frequent multiple fractures in different levels.