Background: Locked cervical spine facets accounting more than 50% of cervical spine injuries. It is a highly unstable condition in need of realignment, decompression, reduction and fixation.
Objective: Aprospective clinical case study to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of surgical anterior cervical decompression, reduction, and fixation approach for management of traumatic sub-axial cervical locked facets.
Patients and Methods: We studied 30 patients with traumatic cervical sub axial locked facets managed surgically through anterior cervical decompression, reduction and anterior plate fixation. All patients were subjected to full general and neurological clinical assessment, routine laboratory work and neuroimaging by plain X-ray, CT scan and MRI cervical spine. All patients were assessed post-operatively, clinically and radiologically with regular follow up for one year.
Results: This study included 30 patients (21 males and 9 females), with main age 39.3 years. The most common mode of trauma was road traffic accident in 23 patients. All patients presented by neck pain and cervical spine tenderness, and 23 patients presented by neurological deficits, mostly with bilateral facets cases 19 (82.6%). The most common affected level was C6-7, in 10 patients (33.3%). Traumatic disc herniation was presented in all cases with bilateral facets dislocation (23 cases -76.7%), and 4 cases with unilateral facet dislocation. All patients treated through anterior cervical approach, with main operative time 150 minutes, median operative blood loss 100 cc. One patient has intra-operative CSF leak, and no other intra-operative complications.
Conclusion: Open ventral reduction, decompression and fixation was considered the initial choice for treatment and stabilization of cervical locked facets, with less complication and several advantages to the patients.