title: Early anterior decompression and fusion for crush fractures of cervical vertebrae.
abstract: From 1965 to 1991, 273 patients with crush fractures of cervical vertebrae were treated. They were sustained by young people in diving accidents, road accidents, or falls from a height. Spinal cord involvement with a varied degree of tetraplegia was usually present. The results of management by nonoperative or operative means have been compared. There has been neurological improvement in 14% of nonoperative and 44% of operative cases. Early surgical decompression by an anterior approach with stabilization by a bone graft is advocated to improve outcome and reduce the time in hospital.
authors.affiliation: Metropolitan Rehabilitation Centre Konstancin, Poland.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Kiwerski
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010243:Paralysis / Q000209:etiology; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors