title: [Clinical diagnosis and treatment of Hangman's fracture].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the mechanism of Hangman's fracture and its clinical manifestation and treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten patients with Hangman's fracture treated at our hospital from 1988 to 2001 were analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients were injured by motor vehicle accidents (7 patients), object hitting on the head (1), and fall (1). Injuries were classified as type I (1 patient), type II (5), type IIa (2) and type III (2).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Motor vehicle accident and fall are major causes of Hangman's fracture with neurological deficits but limited motion and neck pain. Hangman's fracture is easily diagnosed using lateral cervical X-ray and CT. Hangman's fractures of types I, II and IIa can be treated conservatively, but those of type III or spinal cord injury require surgical stabilization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Third Teaching Hospital of Peking University, Beijing 100083, China.
authors.forename: Ze-sheng
authors.initials: ZS
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Zhong-jun
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Geng-ting
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Dang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001368:Axis, Cervical Vertebra / Q000293:injuries*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005592:Fracture Fixation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D013123:Spinal Fusion; D014143:Traction; D055815:Young Adult