J Korean Neurosurg Soc.  1992 May;21(5):522-529.

A Clinical Analysis of Treatment of Acute Cervical Spinal Injury

• Kim IS
• Kim DW
• Choi KS
• Park BG
• Lee JC
• Yim MB
• Kim IH

Abstract

A retrospective study of 100 cervical spinal cord injury patients admitted consequtively to the Department of Neurosurgery, Dongsan Medical Center, Keimyung University between March, 1985 and June, 1989 was conducted. The average age was 42 and 84(84%) were male. The majority sustained their spinal cord injury in a motor vehicle accident(50%) or in a diving accident(36%). Thirty-three percent(33/100) of these patients had surgical intervention by anterior approach(14/33), posterior approach(17/33) and total laminectomy(2/33). The others were only immobilized by traction or neck brace. Not only neurological recovery in operated and nonoperated patients but also complete and incomplete injury was compared. The degree of the neurological injury was classified by the Frankel classification. 12 cases turned out to be more aggravated than the condition at admission, among them 9 cases were middle and low cervical incomplete injuries. At final follow-up no appreciable differences in achievement in activities of daily living and mobility were noted between patients treated with surgical stabilization of the cervical spinal column and those treated nonsurgically.

Keyword

Cervical spinal cord injury; Frankel classification; Surgical stabilization; Immobilization

MeSH Terms

Activities of Daily Living
Braces
Classification
Diving
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Immobilization
Male
Motor Vehicles
Neck
Neurosurgery
Retrospective Studies
Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal Injuries*
Spine
Traction