Delayed Treatment of Traumatic Cervical Dislocation: A Case Report and Literature Review

Neglected unreduced cervical dislocation is very uncommon. In our case (a lady who stayed asymptomatic for 13 months before development of cervicobrachialgia), the anterior reduction/arthrodesis was easy, and we did not find any benefit from an additional posterior procedure thanks to a congenital b...

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Main Authors: Fabian Roland Bechet, Pierre Stassen, Dan Scorpie, Thierry Della Siega
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2022-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Orthopedics
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/7756484
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author Fabian Roland Bechet
Pierre Stassen
Dan Scorpie
Thierry Della Siega
author_facet Fabian Roland Bechet
Pierre Stassen
Dan Scorpie
Thierry Della Siega
author_sort Fabian Roland Bechet
collection DOAJ
description Neglected unreduced cervical dislocation is very uncommon. In our case (a lady who stayed asymptomatic for 13 months before development of cervicobrachialgia), the anterior reduction/arthrodesis was easy, and we did not find any benefit from an additional posterior procedure thanks to a congenital block between C7 and T1 vertebral bodies. This point is nevertheless a matter of debate. After a review of the literature, we did not find any consensus about the ideal scheme and sequence to reduce and stabilize this delayed type of cervical trauma. We emphasize the need of dynamic radiographies to exclude unstable injuries but also a prereduction MRI (especially in unexaminable patients) to detect any dangerous disc fragment. If there is no visible change in the radiological status while attempting to reduce the dislocation by external maneuvers, there is little chance to reduce it successfully only by a single approach. Therefore, in irreducible delayed dislocations, it seems safer to prepare the reduction/fusion stage (either anterior/posterior, depending on the habits and skills of the surgeon) by a first stage carrying out a release of the fibrous tissues on the opposite side (either posterior to release the facet joints or anterior to release the intervertebral disc), followed by the reduction/fusion stage itself and then by a third stage to lock the level. Like many authors, we recommend an anterior approach first in case of an extruded disc visible on the MRI, and therefore, we show a preference for the anterior-posterior-anterior sequence in irreducible delayed cervical dislocations.
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spelling doaj-art-a86b2f806bcb4fd3a21c12c0363dff0a2025-02-03T06:13:37ZengWileyCase Reports in Orthopedics2090-67572022-01-01202210.1155/2022/7756484Delayed Treatment of Traumatic Cervical Dislocation: A Case Report and Literature ReviewFabian Roland Bechet0Pierre Stassen1Dan Scorpie2Thierry Della Siega3From the Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery DepartmentFrom the Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery DepartmentFrom the Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery DepartmentFrom the Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery DepartmentNeglected unreduced cervical dislocation is very uncommon. In our case (a lady who stayed asymptomatic for 13 months before development of cervicobrachialgia), the anterior reduction/arthrodesis was easy, and we did not find any benefit from an additional posterior procedure thanks to a congenital block between C7 and T1 vertebral bodies. This point is nevertheless a matter of debate. After a review of the literature, we did not find any consensus about the ideal scheme and sequence to reduce and stabilize this delayed type of cervical trauma. We emphasize the need of dynamic radiographies to exclude unstable injuries but also a prereduction MRI (especially in unexaminable patients) to detect any dangerous disc fragment. If there is no visible change in the radiological status while attempting to reduce the dislocation by external maneuvers, there is little chance to reduce it successfully only by a single approach. Therefore, in irreducible delayed dislocations, it seems safer to prepare the reduction/fusion stage (either anterior/posterior, depending on the habits and skills of the surgeon) by a first stage carrying out a release of the fibrous tissues on the opposite side (either posterior to release the facet joints or anterior to release the intervertebral disc), followed by the reduction/fusion stage itself and then by a third stage to lock the level. Like many authors, we recommend an anterior approach first in case of an extruded disc visible on the MRI, and therefore, we show a preference for the anterior-posterior-anterior sequence in irreducible delayed cervical dislocations.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/7756484
spellingShingle Fabian Roland Bechet
Pierre Stassen
Dan Scorpie
Thierry Della Siega
Delayed Treatment of Traumatic Cervical Dislocation: A Case Report and Literature Review
Case Reports in Orthopedics
title Delayed Treatment of Traumatic Cervical Dislocation: A Case Report and Literature Review
title_full Delayed Treatment of Traumatic Cervical Dislocation: A Case Report and Literature Review
title_fullStr Delayed Treatment of Traumatic Cervical Dislocation: A Case Report and Literature Review
title_full_unstemmed Delayed Treatment of Traumatic Cervical Dislocation: A Case Report and Literature Review
title_short Delayed Treatment of Traumatic Cervical Dislocation: A Case Report and Literature Review
title_sort delayed treatment of traumatic cervical dislocation a case report and literature review
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/7756484
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AT thierrydellasiega delayedtreatmentoftraumaticcervicaldislocationacasereportandliteraturereview