Cervical Spine Injuries and Maxillofacial Trauma

Overview

Authors followed incidence of cervical spine injuries in a group of 778 patients with maxillofacial trauma hospitalized at the Clinic for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Medical School Comenius University and Faculty Hospital in Bratislava during the years 2001 – 2004. They found in the whole group of the patients in 28 of cases (3.6 %) these diagnoses: distorsion of cervical spine (14 cases), contusion of cervical spine (4 cases), subluxation of cervical vertebra (2 cases), posttraumatic vertebrogeneous cervicocranial syndrome or block (6 cases) and fracture of a cervical vertebra (2 cases). Simultaneous maxillofacial injuries were mainly isolated double mandibular fracture (5 of cases) and zygomaticomaxillary complex fracture (5 of cases), a facial contusion only occured in two of the cases. Authors deal with the mechanisms of cervical injuries, the evaluation algorithm, some problems of the diagnosis and the therapy. They emphasize prevention of a possible secondary lesion of the cervical spine.

Key words:
cervical spine injuries – maxillofacial trauma – diagnosis – treatment