title: Completely dislocated hangman's fracture with a locked C2-3 facet. Case report.
abstract: The authors report a rare case of a hangman's fracture involving complete dislocation of C-2 onto C-3, accompanied by a C2-3 locked facet and asymptomatic bilateral vertebral artery injuries. The patient, a 25-year-old man who sustained a neck injury in an industrial accident, presented with a mild central spinal cord syndrome. His initial lateral cervical radiograph showed complete anterior dislocation of the C-2 body onto C-3, bilateral neural arch fractures, and a unilateral locked facet. The mechanism was likely flexion and compression. The grossly unstable spine and the locked facet were treated by posterior decompression, reduction, and C1-3 fixation. The patient recovered in several days and is without neurological deficit.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurological Surgery, Barrow Neurological Institute, Mercy Healthcare Arizona, Phoenix 85013-4496, USA.
authors.forename: W G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Vishteh
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Baskin
authors.forename: F F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Marciano
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Dickman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011859:Radiography; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000145:classification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy