THE JOURNAL OF BONE AND JOINT SURGERY tions, including 24-hour ambulant monitoring, revealed only atrial fibrillation. Radiographs of the cervical spine showed spondylolisthesis at the C5 to C6 level. Anterior cervical interbody fusion was performed at this level; the bony changes seen at operation were similar to those described in case 1. He had no more drop attacks during the last year of hi...

OBJECTIVE To clarify the incidence and predictive risk factors of cervical spine instabilities which may induce compression myelopathy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS Three types of cervical spine instability were radiographically categorized into "moderate" and "severe" based on atlantoaxial subluxation (AAS: atlantodental interval >3 mm versus ≥10 mm), vertical subluxati...

The halo body jacket and plaster Minerva body jacket have been the preferred orthoses when maximal stabilization of the cervical spine is required. This report identifies some disadvantages of these orthoses, introduces the thermoplastic Minerva body jacket (TMBJ), and discusses its advantages in the rehabilitation of patients with cervical spine instability. A preliminary roentgenographic stud...

Objective: The morbidity and mortality are high for traumatic upper cervical spine instability with cervico-medullary compression. In a clinical retrospective study, the clinical and radiographic results of occipitocervical (OC) fusion using posterior atlantoaxial transpedicular screw fixation in 12 patients with traumatic upper cervical spine instability was reviewed. Methods: Twelve patients ...

BACKGROUND No randomized control trial to date has studied the use of cervical spine management strategies in cases of severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) at risk for cervical spine instability solely due to damaged ligaments. A computer algorithm is used to decide between four cervical spine management strategies. A model assumption is that the emergency room evaluation shows no spinal deficit...

objectives major differences exist in the anatomy and biomechanics of the growing spine that causes failure patterns different from those in adults. spinal injury in the pediatric patient is a main concern because timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment can prevent further neurologic damage and deformity and potentiate recovery. we conducted a retrospective clinical study of 137 cases (93 bo...

BACKGROUND Cervical orthoses are commonly used for extrication, transportation, and definitive immobilization for cervical trauma patients. Various designs have been tested frequently in young, healthy individuals. To date, no one has reported the effectiveness of collar immobilization in the presence of an unstable mid-cervical spine. STUDY OBJECTIVES To determine the extent to which cervica...

STUDY DESIGN An experimental approach was used to test human cadaveric cervical spine specimens. OBJECTIVE To assess the response of the cervical spine to a compressive follower load applied along a path that approximates the tangent to the curve of the cervical spine. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA The compressive load on the human cervical spine is estimated to range from 120 to 1200 N during...