An unusual reduction technique prior to surgical treatment for traumatic spondylolisthesis in the lower cervical spine

Severe traumatic dislocation of the lower cervical spine with mild neurological symptoms: Case reports and literature review

CONTEXT

Severe traumatic fractures and dislocations of the lower cervical spine are usually accompanied by irreversible spinal cord injuries. Such patients rarely have mild or no neurological symptoms.

FINDINGS

We report three cases of severe lower cervical dislocation without spinal cord injury and discuss the mechanisms underlying this type of injury. All three patients had severe lower cervical dislocation, but their neurological symptoms were mild. In all cases, the fractures occurred at the bilateral junctions of the lamina and pedicle, resulting in severe cervical spondylolisthesis, whereas the posterior structure remained in place, thereby increasing the cross-sectional area of the spinal canal. After preoperative skull traction for a few days, the patients underwent anterior or combined anterior and posterior cervical surgeries. All surgeries were successfully completed and the patient's symptoms disappeared at the last follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Severe traumatic dislocation of the lower cervical spine with an intact neurological status is rare in clinical practice. Pathological canal enlargement preserves neurological function, and the most commonly injured segment is C7. Preoperative traction for closed reduction remains controversial. We suggest that if no obvious anterior compression is observed, closed reduction should be pursued. Anterior or combined anterior and posterior cervical surgeries can provide rigid fixation with satisfactory results.

Cervical fracture dislocation without neurological abnormality: Rare case reports

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE

Traumatic lower cervical dislocation with spinal cord injury (SCI) can cause long-lasting dysfunction in many organ systems resulting in significant financial burden and functional disability. The patient may come with complete or incomplete neurological deficit. However, there is also possibility of no neurological deficit.

CASE PRESENTATION

This case reports presented two cases of a 68-year-old man and a 54-year-old man that came to the emergency department after a traffic accident and fell from a height. Surprisingly there was no neurological deficit found on both patients. The patient underwent emergency open reduction and posterior stabilization. Several months later, the neurological function was still excellent, and the pain was absent.

CLINICAL DISCUSSION

Traumatic cervical dislocation without neurological deficit is rare. Enlargement of the spinal canal is significant when the vertebral body and the shattered posterior arch separate, which may play a protective role on the spinal cord. The neurological deficit did not happen in the first case due to a widening spinal canal. Still, in the second case, the patient's neurological condition remained excellent despite no disruption on the posterior arch after cervical dislocation.

CONCLUSION

Neurological deficit may not occur in the cervical dislocation with disruption of the posterior arch due to the widening of the spinal canal. This injury should be treated properly to prevent other morbidities and even mortality. The posterior technique for stabilization gives various benefits, such as the safety and familiarity of the procedure and the high success rate.

Management of delayed posttraumatic cervical kyphosis

We describe three patients with misdiagnosed unstable fractures of the cervical spine, who were treated conservatively and developed kyphotic deformity, myelopathy, and radiculopathy. All three patients were then managed with closed reductions by crown halo traction, followed by instrumented fusions. Their neurologic function was regained without permanent disability in any patient. Unstable fractures of the cervical spine will progress to catastrophic neurologic injuries without surgical fixation. Posttraumatic kyphosis and the delayed reduction of partially healed fracture dislocations by preoperative traction are not well characterized in the subaxial cervical spine. The complete evaluation of any subaxial cervical spine fracture requires CT scanning to assess for bony fractures, and MRI to assess for ligamentous injury. This allows for assessment of the degree of instability and appropriate management. In patients with delayed posttraumatic cervical kyphosis, preoperative closed reduction provided adequate realignment, facilitating subsequent operative stabilization.

Traumatic spondylolisthesis and spondyloptosis of the subaxial cervical spine without neurological deficits: closed re-alignment, surgical options and literature review

INTRODUCTION

Cervical subaxial malalignment due to complete or partial post-traumatic dislocation is generally associated to neurological impairment of ranging severity. Literature lacks reporting this entity in patients with no neurological issues. Cervical traction is not widely accepted in treating this kind of injury, due to its potential for neurological damage, although surgery seems to represent the gold standard.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We studied in detail 18 cervical subaxial severe dislocations and ptosis, especially analyzing 2 personal cases plus 5 from the literature without neurological impairment. We discuss the role of pre-operative cervical traction and its influence on the overall surgical planning and outcome.

RESULTS

Sixteen cases of anterior complete luxation were described in detail by literature. Five patients were reported having no associated neurological impairment and three were treated by pre-operative traction. Our two cases of cervical subaxial dislocation due to bi-pedicular fractures without neurological deficits were treated by traction and surgical fixation.

CONCLUSIONS

Subaxial bi-pedicular fracture is a highly unstable condition of the cervical spine. Complete or incomplete dislocation requires instrumented fixation. An intact neurological status is very rare. Pathological canal enlargement seems to be able to protect the spinal cord, during trauma and/or traction. For these findings, cervical traction could be applied with no excessive worrying. We prefer a progressive traction up to 20 lb, administered in 7-10 days with no intubation and close neuro-vascular status monitoring. Good pre-operative realignment can be properly achieved in the majority of cervical dislocations, thus avoiding three-stage surgery and somatectomy.