Short-Term Outcomes Of Subaxial Cervical Injuries

Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

The subaxial cervical spine consists of levels C3 through C7 and includes both the bony anatomy as well as the ligamentous anatomy. Injuries to the subaxial cervical spine can be bony, discoligamentous or a combination of both (1). Cervical spine trauma is common resulting from high energy trauma such as falling from height and motor vehicle accident (2). Devastating sequelae of subaxial cervical spine trauma include quadriplegia, functional loss, and permanent disability

Initially, all patients with subaxial cervical spine fractures require immobilization in a rigid cervical orthosis (2). Patients receiving conservative treatment are often prescribed a rigid cervical or cervicothoracic orthosis for 6 to 12 weeks with regular follow-up and interval radiographs to assess alignment. Patients with fractures deemed unstable or neurologic compromise should undergo decompression and stabilization. Intervention within 24 hours of injury leads to better improvement in ASIA scores (3). The recent AO Spine Subaxial Classification system relies essentially on MSCT evaluation (Reference). However, MRI is superior to CT scans for evaluating the spinal cord, nerve roots, disc, and ligamentous structures in the cervical spine (4). Even though the investigators receive and treat a large number of patients with various subaxial cervical injuries in Assiut University Hospital each year, there is no consensus about the best treatment options and uncertainty about the outcome of these treatments. In this study, the participants will assess the short-term outcomes of all patients with subaxial cervical fractures who will be admitted to the participants' center regardless of the neurological status or treatment type used. The participants will also create a detailed prospective database to be used for another later study on the long-term outcome

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