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Cervical Spine Fractures/Acute Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

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Abstract

Cervical facet fracture dislocation is a serious, unstable spinal column injury; when bilateral, there are high rates of concomitant spinal cord injury. Clinical management involves basic trauma principles of assessment and resuscitation followed by comprehensive neurological and radiographic assessment with computed tomography. Early decompression of the spinal cord and stabilization of the spinal column are the foundation of clinical management of these injuries. Careful attention must be paid to hypotension and other signs of autonomic dysfunction. For bilateral facet fracture dislocation, circumferential anterior and posterior decompression and fusion is the preferred surgical approach.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    David O. Okonkwo

  2. Stony Brook Neurosurgery Spine Center, Stony Brook, NY, USA

    Harry M. Mushlin

Authors
  1. David O. Okonkwo
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  2. Harry M. Mushlin
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Correspondence to David O. Okonkwo .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Neurosurgery, John H. Stroger Jr Hospital of Cook County, (formerly Cook County Hospital), Chicago, IL, USA

    P. B. Raksin

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Okonkwo, D.O., Mushlin, H.M. (2022). Cervical Spine Fractures/Acute Cervical Spinal Cord Injury. In: Raksin, P.B. (eds) Acute Care Neurosurgery by Case Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99512-6_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99512-6_9

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