A child who recovered completely after spinal cord injury complicated by C2-3 fracture dislocation: case report.
METHODS
This was a case of a child who recovered completely after spinal cord surgery complicated by C2-C3 fracture dislocation.


OBJECTIVE
To clarify the important issue with regard to the diagnosis and treatment of possible spinal cord injury complicated by C2-C3 fracture dislocation in children.


BACKGROUND
Reports on spinal cord injury complicated by C2-C3 fracture dislocation in children who recovered completely after surgery are very rare. Moreover, there are no reports of cases in which described MRI and magnetic resonance angiography obtained 5 years after surgery.


METHODS
A 4-year-old girl with complete fracture dislocation of C2-C3 and spinal cord injury of Frankel B because of a traffic injury. A middle incision was made in a prone position under general anesthesia, and C2-C3 was fixed with interlaminal wiring according to the McGraw modified method.


RESULTS
The postoperative course was excellent, and the patient recovered completely. An MRI performed 5 years after surgery revealed no definitive abnormality in spinal cord and patency of vertebral arteries.


CONCLUSIONS
This was a very rare case of spinal cord injury complicated C2-C3 fracture dislocation in children. The present case is of interest in that it demonstrated the possibility of recovery in a child from spinal cord injuries of Frankel B immediately after injury, if complex injuries in multiple organs are controlled by systemic management.
Sakayama
Kenshi
K
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Ehime University School of Medicine, Ehime, Japan. kenshi@m.ehime-u.ac.jp
Kidani
Teruki
T
Matsuda
Yoshiro
Y
Sugawara
Yoshifumi
Y
Shibata
Taihoh
T
Yamamoto
Haruyasu
H
D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D001864:Bone Wires; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D004204:Joint Dislocations / Q000601:surgery*; D020127:Recovery of Function; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome