title: Delayed management of traumatic bilateral cervical facet dislocation: surgical strategy. Report of three cases.
abstract: Postinjury cervical spine instability typically requires surgical treatment in the acute or semiacute stage. The authors, however, report on three patients with older (> 8 weeks) untreated bilateral cervical facet dislocation. In two patients they attempted a classic anterior-posterior-anterior approach but failed. The misalignment in the second stage of the procedure could not be corrected, and they had to add a fourth, posterior, stage. To avoid the fourth stage, thereby reducing operating time and risk of neurological damage while turning the patient, they propose the following sequence: 1) a posterior approach to perform a complete facetectomy bilaterally with no attempt to reduce the dislocation; 2) an anterior microscopic discectomy with reduction of the dislocation and anterior fixation; and 3) posterior fixation. This sequence of procedures was successfully performed in the third patient. Based on this experience, they suggest that in cases of nonacute bilateral cervical facet dislocations the operating sequence should be posterior-anterior-posterior.
authors.affiliation: Neurosurgical Center Nijmegen, The Netherlands. r.bartels@czzonch.azn.nl
authors.forename: Ronald H M A
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Bartels
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Donk
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D017586:Diskectomy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D004204:Joint Dislocations / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures; D011859:Radiography; D013124:Spinal Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D013997:Time Factors