Treatment of Facet Injuries in the Cervical Spine.

Facet injuries are common in the cervical spine. Many classification systems over the years have characterized the heterogeneity of these injuries. For unilateral facet fractures with minimal displacement and no neurological deficit, there is mounting evidence that better radiographic and clinical outcomes may be achieved with surgical treatment. Anterior and posterior approaches can both be utilized successfully for the surgical management of facet injuries. The anterior approach is well tolerated, allows one to address a disc herniation, and provides a high union rate with good sagittal alignment. The posterior approach allows for easier open reduction and biomechanically superior fixation.

[1]  M. Hadley,et al.  Facet fracture-dislocation injuries of the cervical spine. , 1992, Neurosurgery.

[2]  J. Carrino,et al.  Posterior longitudinal ligament status in cervical spine bilateral facet dislocations , 2006, Skeletal Radiology.

[3]  D. Newell,et al.  Comparison of Anterior and Posterior Approaches in Cervical Spinal Cord Injuries , 2003, Journal of spinal disorders & techniques.

[4]  Thomas R Oxland,et al.  The Radiographic Failure of Single Segment Anterior Cervical Plate Fixation in Traumatic Cervical Flexion Distraction Injuries , 2004, Spine.

[5]  A. Peitzman,et al.  MRI is unnecessary to clear the cervical spine in obtunded/comatose trauma patients: the four-year experience of a level I trauma center. , 2008, The Journal of trauma.

[6]  P. Levy,et al.  An evidenced-based approach to radiographic assessment of cervical spine injuries in the emergency department. , 2009, The Journal of emergency medicine.

[7]  J. Harris,et al.  A practical classification of acute cervical spine injuries. , 1986, The Orthopedic clinics of North America.

[8]  J. Ditunno,et al.  Closed Reduction of Traumatic Cervical Spine Dislocation Using Traction Weights Up to 140 Pounds , 1993, Spine.

[9]  R. Hurlbert,et al.  Prospective evaluation of computed tomographic scanning for the spinal clearance of obtunded trauma patients: preliminary results. , 2004, The Journal of trauma.

[10]  Y. Rampersaud,et al.  Differences between neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons in classifying cervical dislocation injuries and making assessment and treatment decisions: a multicenter reliability study. , 2009, American journal of orthopedics.

[11]  B. Aarabi,et al.  Comparative effectiveness of surgical versus nonoperative management of unilateral, nondisplaced, subaxial cervical spine facet fractures without evidence of spinal cord injury: clinical article. , 2014, Journal of neurosurgery. Spine.

[12]  B. Aarabi,et al.  Treatment of isolated cervical facet fractures: a systematic review. , 2016, Journal of neurosurgery. Spine.

[13]  T. Ryken,et al.  Treatment of Subaxial Cervical Spinal Injuries. , 2013, Neurosurgery.

[14]  B. Allen,et al.  A Mechanistic Classification of Closed, Indirect Fractures and Dislocations of the Lower Cervical Spine , 1982, Spine.

[15]  T. Albert,et al.  Magnetic Resonance Imaging Analysis of Soft Tissue Disruption After Flexion-Distraction Injuries of the Subaxial Cervical Spine , 2001, Spine.

[16]  T. Albert,et al.  Use of Computed Tomography to Predict Failure of Nonoperative Treatment of Unilateral Facet Fractures of the Cervical Spine , 2006, Spine.

[17]  T. Scalea,et al.  Computed tomography alone for cervical spine clearance in the unreliable patient--are we there yet? , 2008, The Journal of trauma.

[18]  B. Aarabi,et al.  The Surgical Approach to Subaxial Cervical Spine Injuries: An Evidence-Based Algorithm Based on the SLIC Classification System , 2007, Spine.

[19]  H. Doll,et al.  The case for early treatment of dislocations of the cervical spine with cord involvement sustained playing rugby. , 2011, The Journal of bone and joint surgery. British volume.

[20]  Joseph D. Smucker,et al.  Infolding of the ligamentum flavum: a cause of spinal cord compression after reduction of cervical facet injuries. , 2006, Journal of spinal disorders & techniques.

[21]  T. Darsaut,et al.  A Pilot Study of Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Guided Closed Reduction of Cervical Spine Fractures , 2006, Spine.

[22]  R. Balderston,et al.  Immediate closed reduction of cervical spine dislocations using traction. , 1990 .

[23]  C. Fisher,et al.  A prospective randomized controlled trial of anterior compared with posterior stabilization for unilateral facet injuries of the cervical spine. , 2007, Journal of neurosurgery. Spine.

[24]  R. Balderston,et al.  Magnetic resonance evaluation of the intervertebral disc, spinal ligaments, and spinal cord before and after closed traction reduction of cervical spine dislocations. , 1999, Spine.

[25]  N. Theodore,et al.  Initial closed reduction of cervical spinal fracture-dislocation injuries. , 2013, Neurosurgery.

[26]  E. Helseth,et al.  The epidemiology of traumatic cervical spine fractures: a prospective population study from Norway , 2012, Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine.

[27]  J. C. Belloti,et al.  Surgical approaches for cervical spine facet dislocations in adults. , 2014, The Cochrane database of systematic reviews.

[28]  E. Panacek,et al.  Distribution and patterns of blunt traumatic cervical spine injury. , 2001, Annals of emergency medicine.

[29]  H. Winn,et al.  Risk of early closed reduction in cervical spine subluxation injuries. , 1999, Journal of neurosurgery.

[30]  D. Brodke,et al.  Variations in Surgical Treatment of Cervical Facet Dislocations , 2008, Spine.

[31]  A. Levine,et al.  Rotational injury of cervical facets: CT analysis of fracture patterns with implications for management and neurologic outcome. , 1994, AJR. American journal of roentgenology.

[32]  D. Norvell,et al.  Unilateral facet dislocations: Is surgery really the preferred option? , 2010, Evidence-based spine-care journal.

[33]  B. Aarabi,et al.  The Subaxial Cervical Spine Injury Classification System: A Novel Approach to Recognize the Importance of Morphology, Neurology, and Integrity of the Disco-Ligamentous Complex , 2007, Spine.

[34]  C. Bolger,et al.  The Subaxial Cervical Spine Injury Classification System: an external agreement validation study. , 2013, The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society.

[35]  S. Raniga,et al.  MDCT of acute subaxial cervical spine trauma: a mechanism-based approach , 2014, Insights into Imaging.

[36]  K. Nagy,et al.  CT should replace three-view radiographs as the initial screening test in patients at high, moderate, and low risk for blunt cervical spine injury: a prospective comparison. , 2009, The Journal of trauma.

[37]  J. France,et al.  Helical computed tomography alone compared with plain radiographs with adjunct computed tomography to evaluate the cervical spine after high-energy trauma. , 2005, The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume.

[38]  Alexander R. Vaccaro,et al.  AOSpine subaxial cervical spine injury classification system , 2015, European Spine Journal.

[39]  B. A. Green,et al.  Extrusion of an intervertebral disc associated with traumatic subluxation or dislocation of cervical facets. Case report. , 1991, The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume.

[40]  J. Lee,et al.  Controversies in the treatment of cervical spine dislocations. , 2009, The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society.