Outcome of 51 cases of unilateral locked cervical facets: interspinous braided cable for lateral mass plate fusion compared with interspinous wire and facet wiring with iliac crest

1999 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Shapiro ◽  
William Snyder ◽  
Kevin Kaufman ◽  
Todd Abel
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Spine ◽  
Mr Imaging ◽  
Neck Pain ◽  
Internal Fixation ◽  
Closed Reduction ◽  
Iliac Crest ◽  
Lateral Mass ◽  
Reduction Procedure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fine Print

Object. To increase knowledge about unilateral facet dislocation, including presentation, radiological findings, management, and outcome, the authors reviewed the cases of 51 consecutive patients with unilateral locked facets of the cervical spine who underwent treatment over an 11-year period. With the development of internal fixation devices, the authors compared the procedure of using interspinous wire and facet wiring of iliac crest to fix unilateral locked facets with that in which interspinous braided cable and lateral mass plates were used. Methods. Thirty-seven patients (73%) presented with radiculopathy, eight (16%) with neck pain only, and six (12%) with spinal cord injuries (SCIs). Plain x-ray films demonstrated subluxation in only 44 (86%) of 51 cases. All patients underwent cervical computerized tomography (CT) scanning, and in all patients with SCI, a magnetic resonance (MR) image was obtained. Fracture in addition to facet locking was seen on 24 (47%) of 51 CT scans. Disc disruption with cord compression was seen in five cases (10%). Based on CT and/or MR imaging findings, a closed reduction procedure was believed to be contraindicated in 11 cases (22%). Of the remaining 40 patients, 13 (33%) underwent closed reduction procedures. Two patients who underwent a closed reduction procedure were placed in a halo brace but experienced resubluxation. Thus, all cases were surgically treated. Forty-six patients underwent posterior reduction and/or internal fixation alone (in 24 cases spinous process fixation with facet wiring was connected to struts of iliac crest, and in 22 cases interspinous braided cable for lateral mass plating was used). Initial surgery, regardless of technique, was successful in 45 (98%) of 46 cases. One patient experienced a resubluxation and underwent reoperation in which anterior cervical fusion and plating were performed. Four of six patients with SCI underwent an emergency combined anterior—posterior decompressive procedure in which internal fixation was performed, and the patients experienced immediate neurological improvement. Overall there were no cases of neurological worsening or death, and there were three cases of wound infection. At 1 year postsurgery, all deficits had improved. Of 37 cases of radiculopathy, three patients (8%) experienced persistent 4/5 weakness, and the remaining patients were normal, including four patients in whom diagnosis was delayed. The six patients with SCI all improved significantly by 1 year. Persistent neck pain was seen in nine cases (18%). Although the lateral mass plates and interspinous cable are stronger, easier to place, and significantly lessened the amount of resultant kyphosis (p < 0.02), the results of chi-square analysis demonstrated only a slight trend for improved clinical outcome compared with the use of wire and iliac crest (p = 0.1). Conclusions. Cervical CT and MR imaging provide information that aids in the diagnosis and management of patients with unilateral locked facets of the cervical spine. The authors' experience strongly suggests that a reduction procedure in which internal fixation and bone fusion are performed will be the most successful treatment for this injury.

Risk of early closed reduction in cervical spine subluxation injuries

1999 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald A. Grant ◽  
Sohail K. Mirza ◽  
Jens R. Chapman ◽  
H. Richard Winn ◽  
David W. Newell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Spine ◽  
Mr Imaging ◽  
Disc Herniation ◽  
Closed Reduction ◽  
Spinal Cord Injuries ◽  
Spinal Injury ◽  
Neurological Deterioration ◽  
Neurological Deficits ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fine Print

Object. The authors retrospectively reviewed 121 patients with traumatic cervical spine injuries to determine the risk of neurological deterioration following early closed reduction. Methods. After excluding minor fractures and injuries without subluxation, the medical records and imaging studies (computerized tomography and magnetic resonance [MR] images) of 82 patients with bilateral and unilateral locked facet dislocations, burst fractures, extension injuries, or miscellaneous cervical fractures with subluxation were reviewed. Disc injury was defined on MR imaging as the presence of herniation or disruption: a herniation was described as deforming the thecal sac or nerve roots, and a disruption was defined as a disc with high T2-weighted signal characteristics in a widened disc space. Fifty-eight percent of patients presented with complete or incomplete spinal cord injuries. Thirteen percent of patients presented with a cervical radiculopathy, 22% were intact, and 9% had only transient neurological deficits in the field. Early, rapid closed reduction, using serial plain radiographs or fluoroscopy and Gardner—Wells craniocervical traction, was achieved in 97.6% of patients. In two patients (2.4%) closed reduction failed and they underwent emergency open surgical reduction. The average time to achieve closed reduction was 2.1 ± 0.24 hours (standard error of the mean). The incidence of disc herniation and disruption in the 80 patients who underwent postreduction MR imaging was 22% and 24%, respectively. However, the presence of disc herniation or disruption did not affect the degree of neurological recovery, as measured by American Spinal Injury Association motor score and the Frankel scale following early closed reduction. Only one (1.3%) of 80 patients deteriorated, but that occurred more than 6 hours following closed reduction. Conclusions. Although disc herniation and disruption can occur following all types of traumatic cervical fracture subluxations, the incidence of neurological deterioration following closed reduction in these patients is rare. The authors recommend early closed reduction in patients presenting with significant motor deficits without prior MR imaging.

Magnetic resonance imaging documentation of coexistent traumatic locked facets of the cervical spine and disc herniation

1993 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 341-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen E. Doran ◽  
Stephen M. Papadopoulos ◽  
Thomas B. Ducker ◽  
Kevin O. Lillehei
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Spine ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Mr Imaging ◽  
Disc Herniation ◽  
Closed Reduction ◽  
Clinical Status ◽  
Cord Compression ◽  
Herniated Disc ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fine Print

✓ The coexistence of traumatic locked facets of the cervical spine and a herniated disc is not well described. The authors present a series of patients with traumatic locked facets who demonstrated a high incidence of associated disc herniation documented on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Thirteen patients with either unilateral (four cases) or bilateral (nine cases) locked facets of the cervical spine were analyzed retrospectively. Immediate closed reduction using traction and/or manipulation was attempted in the first nine cases treated and was successful in only three; however, the procedure was abandoned in three cases due to deterioration in the patient's clinical status. In the subsequent four patients, an MR image was obtained prior to attempts at closed reduction. All patients underwent MR imaging of the cervical spine. Of eight consecutive cases treated at the University of Michigan, frank disc herniation with fragmented disc in the canal was found in five while pathological disc bulging was found in the other three. All five cases contributed by other institutions had concurrent disc herniation. This series illustrates the importance of using MR imaging to document the presence of a herniated disc during the initial evaluation of a patient with traumatic locked facets of the cervical spine and prior to attempted reduction of the locked facets. Experience indicates that closed reduction of facet dislocation associated with disc rupture may result in increased spinal cord compression and neurological deficit. If a herniated disc is discovered. anterior discectomy and fusion would be favored as the initial therapy over attempts at closed reduction or operative posterior reduction.

Vertical atlantoaxial distraction injuries: radiological criteria and clinical implications

2004 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Fernando Gonzalez ◽  
David Fiorella ◽  
Neil R. Crawford ◽  
Robert C. Wallace ◽  
Iman Feiz-Erfan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mr Imaging ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Lateral Mass ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Mr Images ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Radiological Criteria ◽  
Surgical Fusion ◽  
Imaging Results ◽  
Fine Print

Object. The authors sought to establish radiological criteria for the diagnosis of C1–2 vertical distraction injuries. Methods. Conventional radiography, computerized tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings in five patients with a C1–2 vertical distraction injury were correlated with their clinical history, operative findings, and autopsy findings. The basion—dens interval (BDI) and the C-1 and C-2 lateral mass interval (LMI) were measured in 93 control patients who underwent CT angiography; these measurements were used to define the normal BDI and LMI. The MR imaging results obtained in 30 healthy individuals were used to characterize the normal signal intensity of the C1–2 joint. The MR imaging results were compared with MR images obtained in five patients with distraction injuries. In the 93 patients, the BDI averaged 4.7 mm (standard deviation [SD] 1.7 mm, range 0.6–9 mm) and the LMI averaged 1.7 mm (SD 0.48 mm, range 0.7–3.3 mm). Based on CT scanning in the five patients with distraction injuries, the BDIs (mean 11.9 mm, SD 3.2 mm; p < 0.001) and LMIs (mean 5.5 mm, SD 2 mm; p < 0.0001) were significantly greater than in the control group. Fast—spin echo inversion-recovery MR images obtained in these five patients revealed markedly increased signal distributed throughout the C1–2 lateral mass articulations bilaterally. Conclusions. In 95% of healthy individuals, the LMI ranged between 0.7 and 2.6 mm. An LMI greater than 2.6 mm indicates the possibility of a distraction injury, which can be confirmed using MR imaging. Patients with a suspected C1–2 distraction injury may be candidates for surgical fusion of C1–2.

Prognostic significance of magnetic resonance imaging in the acute phase of cervical spine injury

1992 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 218-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dale M. Schaefer ◽  
Adam E. Flanders ◽  
Jewell L. Osterholm ◽  
Bruce E. Northrup
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Spine ◽  
Mr Imaging ◽  
Prognostic Significance ◽  
Spinal Segment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Group 3 ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
Fine Print ◽  
Group 1

✓ Fifty-seven patients with acute cervical spine injuries and associated major neurological deficit were examined within 2 weeks of injury by magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. All patients had abnormal scans, indicating intramedullary lesions. This study was undertaken to determine if the early MR imaging pattern had a prognostic relationship to the eventual neurological outcome. Three different MR imaging patterns were observed in these patients: 21 patients had patterns characteristic of intramedullary hematoma (Group 1); 17 had intramedullary edema over more than one spinal segment, but no hemorrhage (Group 2); and 19 had restricted zones of intramedullary edema involving one spinal segment or less (Group 3). The neurological state was determined using standard motor index scores at admission and at follow-up examination. Characteristically, the patients in Group 1 had admission motor scores significantly lower than the other two groups. At follow-up examination, the median percent motor recovery was 9% for Group 1, 41% for Group 2, and 72% for Group 3. These studies suggest that the MR imaging pattern observed in the acutely injured human spinal cord has a prognostic significance in the final outcome of the motor system. It is only when an accurate prognosis can be given at the outset that useful treatment data might be collected for homogeneous injury groups, and accurately based long-term planning made for the best patient care.

Fractures of the C-2 vertebral body

1994 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward C. Benzel ◽  
Blaine L. Hart ◽  
Perry A. Ball ◽  
Nevan G. Baldwin ◽  
William W. Orrison ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Spine ◽  
Soft Tissue ◽  
Mr Imaging ◽  
Upper Cervical Spine ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Body Fracture ◽  
Pars Interarticularis ◽  
Upper Cervical ◽  
Type 3 ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Vertical C-2 body fractures are presented in 15 patients with clinical and imaging correlations that suggest the existence of a variety of mechanisms of injury. In these patients, clinical and imaging correlations were derived by: 1) defining the point of impact by clinical examination; 2) defining the point of impact by soft-tissue changes on cranial magnetic resonance (MR) imaging or computerized tomography (CT); 3) obtaining an accurate history of the mechanism of injury; and 4) spine imaging (x-ray studies, CT, and MR imaging) of the C-2 body fracture and surrounding bone and soft tissue. The cases presented involve the region located between the dens and the pars interarticularis of the axis. Although these fractures are rarely reported, they are not uncommon. An elucidation of their pathological anatomy helps to further the understanding of the mechanistic etiology of upper cervical spine trauma. A spectrum of mechanisms of injury causing upper cervical spine fractures was observed. The type of injury incurred is determined predominantly by the force vector applied during impact and the intrinsic strength and anatomy of C-2 and its surrounding spinal elements. From this clinical experience, two types of vertical C-2 body fractures are defined and presented: coronally oriented (Type 1) and sagittally oriented (Type 2). A third type of C-2 body fracture, the horizontal rostral C-2 fracture (Type 3), is added for completeness; this Type 3 fracture is the previously described Type III odontoid process fracture described by Anderson and D'Alonzo.

Magnetic resonance imaging evaluation of the cervical spine in the comatose or obtunded trauma patient

1999 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark D. D'Alise ◽  
Edward C. Benzel ◽  
Blaine L. Hart
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Spine ◽  
Soft Tissue ◽  
Mr Imaging ◽  
Trauma Patient ◽  
Cervical Spine Injury ◽  
Tissue Injury ◽  
Soft Tissue Injury ◽  
Spine Injury ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fine Print

Object. Confirmation of cervical spine stability is difficult to obtain in the comatose or obtunded trauma patient. Concurrent therapies such as endotracheal intubation and the application of rigid cervical collars diminish the utility of plain radiographs. Bony as well as supportive soft-tissue structures must be evaluated before the cervical spine can be determined to be uninjured. Although major injuries to extradural soft-tissue structures in the awake trauma patient are frequently excluded by physical examination, when the patient is obtunded the physical examination may be unreliable. Therefore, an enhanced diagnostic method for the evaluation of soft-tissue injury is desirable. The authors conducted a study in which magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was used as such a method to assess posttraumatic spinal stability in the comatose or obtunded patient. Methods. Early, limited (sagittal T1- and T2-weighted) MR imaging was performed posttruama in 121 patients to assess soft-tissue injury. In all patients the mechanism of injury potentially could be associated with cervical spine instability, and each patient was endotracheally intubated because of head injury or severe multisystem injuries. All patients underwent imaging studies within 48 hours of injury and were either treated or cleared and spinal precautions were discontinued. Patients were excluded from this study if they had an obvious cervical spine injury identified on the initial radiographic studies or if they were determined to be too medically unstable to undergo MR imaging within the acute period (<48 hours postinjury). Thirty-one (25.6%) of the 121 patients were found to have sustained significant injury to the paravertebral ligamentous structures, the disc interspace, or the bony cervical spine. These injuries were undetected by plain radiography. The other 90 patients (74.4%) were determined within 48 hours not to have sustained a soft-tissue injury. Eight patients (6.6%) ultimately underwent surgery to treat the cervical spine injury, and MR imaging was the first test that identified the injury in each of these patients. There were no complications related to imaging procedures. Conclusions. Sagittal T1- and T2-weighted MR imaging appears to be a safe, reliable method for evaluating the cervical spine for nonapparent injury in comatose or obtunded trauma patients. In the early postinjury period, nursing and medical care are thereby facilitated for patients in whom occult injury to the spine is ruled out and for whom those attendant precautions are unnecessary.

Magnetic resonance imaging for the evaluation of patients with occult cervical spine injury

1996 ◽  
Vol 85 (5) ◽  
pp. 824-829 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward C. Benzel ◽  
Blaine L. Hart ◽  
Perry A. Ball ◽  
Nevan G. Baldwin ◽  
William W. Orrison ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Spine ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Soft Tissue ◽  
Mr Imaging ◽  
Soft Tissue Injury ◽  
Spine Injury ◽  
Ligamentous Injury ◽  
Radiographic Findings ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Because it is often difficult to diagnose accurately the structurally intact cervical spine after acute trauma, a series of patients was evaluated with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to assess its efficacy for the evaluation and clearance of the cervical spine in a trauma victim in the early posttrauma period. Ultralow-field MR imaging was used to evaluate 174 posttraumatic patients in whom physical findings indicated the potential for spine injury or minor radiographic findings indicated injury. This series includes only those patients who did not appear to harbor disruption of spinal integrity on the basis of a routine x-ray film. None had clinically obvious injury. Of the 174 patients, 62 (36%) had soft-tissue abnormalities identified by MR imaging, including disc interspace disruption in 27 patients (four with ventral and dorsal ligamentous injury, three with ventral ligamentous injury alone, 18 with dorsal ligamentous injury alone, and two without ventral or dorsal ligamentous injury). Isolated ligamentous injury was observed in 35 patients (eight with ventral and dorsal ligamentous injury, five with ventral ligamentous injury alone, and 22 with dorsal ligamentous injury alone). One patient underwent a surgical fusion procedure, 35 patients (including the one treated surgically) were placed in a cervical collar for at least 1 month, and 27 patients were placed in a thermoplastic Minerva jacket for at least 2 months. All had a satisfactory outcome without evidence of instability. The T2-weighted sagittal images were most useful in defining acute soft-tissue injury; axial images were of minimal assistance. Posttraumatic soft-tissue cervical spine injuries and disc herniations (most likely preexisting the trauma) are more common than expected. A negative MR image should be considered as confirmation of a negative or “cleared” subaxial cervical spine. Diagnostic and patient management algorithms may be appropriately tailored by this information. Thus, MR imaging is useful for early acute posttrauma assessment in a very select group of patients.

Use of cylindrical titanium mesh and locking plates in anterior cervical fusion

2001 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 174-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaushik Das ◽  
William T. Couldwell ◽  
Gerard Sava ◽  
Rudolph F. Tadonio
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Spine ◽  
Iliac Crest ◽  
Locking Plate ◽  
Anterior Cervical Fusion ◽  
Cervical Fusion ◽  
Titanium Mesh ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Locking Plate System ◽  
Fine Print

✓ After performing anterior cervical corpectomy or discectomy for cervical spondolytic myelopathy or radiculopathy, iliac crest bone graft and fibular auto- or allograft is often used to achieve arthrodesis in the cervical spine. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of a cylindrical titanium mesh and locking plate system as an alternative technique in achieving anterior cervical fusion and maintaining lordosis. Hospital records and radiographs of 38 patients who underwent anterior cervical discectomies (28 patients) or corpectomies (10 patients) from 1995 to 1997 were reviewed retrospectively. All patients had undergone arthrodesis in which autograft and a cylindrical titanium mesh and anterior locking plate fixation were used after discectomy or corpectomy. There were 20 men and 18 women (mean age 46.1 years; range 34–72 years). Presenting symptoms included radiculopathy (61%), myelopathy (37%), and neck pain (2%). Preoperative and postoperative radiographs were studied, and data were obtained on the following: overall lordosis or kyphosis of the cervical spine, segmental lordosis or kyphosis at each surgically treated level, and evidence of fusion. In all of the patients in whom lordosis was present preoperatively, lordosis was maintained during the follow-up period. The overall fusion rate was 100%. The average change in overall lordosis or kyphosis related to the fixation devices was 1.2° (range 1–5°); the average segmental change was 2.3° (range 0–5°); and the mean follow up was 16 months (range 12–36 months). Anterior cervical fusion with cylindrical titanium mesh and cervical locking plate system is an effective method of achieving arthrodesis and maintaining alignment in the cervical spine. The construct may provide additional load-sharing function, and it avoids the use of cadaveric bone or the need for harvesting tricortical iliac crest autograft.

Chondrosarcoma of the cervical spine

1976 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 500-503 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russell L. Blaylock ◽  
Ludwig G. Kempe
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Spine ◽  
Lateral Mass ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Total Removal ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Radical Removal ◽  
Fine Print

✓ The authors present a case of chondrosarcoma involving the lateral mass of the C-2 vertebra, treated by an apparent total removal of the tumor. A review of the literature revealed that these patients can be cured in a significant number of cases if a radical removal is accomplished.

Cervical magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities not predictive of cervical spine instability in traumatically injured patients

2004 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric M. Horn ◽  
Gregory P. Lekovic ◽  
Iman Feiz-Erfan ◽  
Volker K. H. Sonntag ◽  
Nicholas Theodore
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Spine ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Mr Imaging ◽  
Ct Scanning ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Cervical Instability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Trauma Service ◽  
Injured Patients ◽  
Fine Print

Object. Identifying instability of the cervical spine can be difficult in traumatically injured patients. The goal of this study was to determine whether cervical abnormalities demonstrated on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging are predictive of spinal instability. Methods. Data in all patients admitted through the Level I trauma service at the authors' institution who had undergone cervical MR imaging were retrospectively reviewed. The reasons for MR imaging screening were neurological deficit, fracture, neck pain, and indeterminate clinical examination (for example, coma). Abnormal soft-tissue (prevertebral or paraspinal) findings on MR imaging were correlated with those revealed on computerized tomography (CT) scanning and plain and dynamic radiography to determine the presence/absence of cervical instability. Of 6328 patients admitted through the trauma service, 314 underwent MR imaging of the cervical spine. Of 166 patients in whom CT scanning or radiography demonstrated normal findings, 70 had undergone MR imaging that revealed abnormal findings. Of these 70 patients, 23 underwent dynamic imaging, the findings of which were normal. In each case of cervical instability (65 patients) CT, radiographic, and MR imaging studies demonstrated abnormalities. Furthermore, there were 143 patients with abnormal CT or radiographic study findings, in 13 of whom MR imaging revealed normal findings. Six of the latter underwent dynamic testing, which demonstrated normal results. Conclusions. Magnetic resonance imaging is sensitive to soft-tissue injuries of the cervical spine. When CT scanning and radiography detect no fractures or signs of instability, MR imaging does not help in determining cervical stability and may lead to unnecessary testing when not otherwise indicated.

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