Cervical fracture | |
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Other names | Broken neck |
A fracture of the base of the dens (a part of C2) as seen on CT. | |
Specialty | Emergency medicine, neurosurgery, Orthopedic Surgery |
Points | |
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Morphology | |
No abnormality | 0 |
Vertebral compression | 1 |
Burst | +1 (=2) |
Distraction (facet joint perch, hyperextension) | 3 |
Rotation / translation (facet joint dislocation, unstable teardrop, advanced flexion-compression | 4 |
Discs and ligaments | |
Intact | 0 |
Indeterminate (isolated widening between spinous processes, magnetic resonance change | 1 |
Disrupted (widened disc space, facet perch, dislocation) | 2 |
Neurology | |
No neurological symptoms | 0 |
Damaged nerve root | 1 |
Complete spinal cord injury | 2 |
Incomplete spinal cord injury (risk of worsening without surgery) | 3 |
Continuous cord compression with neurological deficit | +1 |
Classification |
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External resources |
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