الفهرس 
introductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 368 |  |  |
| | | from | 368 | | |
Abstract
Lower cervical spine (C3-C7) fractures and dislocations constitute a challenging problem for the treating orthopeadic surgeon with numerous diagnostic and management issues. The choice of treatment of these injuries is based on many factors, including neurologic status, fracture type, and stability. The aim of this study is to present the pathological classification and clinical and radiological analysis of a series of lower cervical spine fractures and dislocations. Also, to assess the clinical and radiological results after conservative and operative treatment, and to decide for the best method of treatment ofthese injuries as judged from the final long¬term results. We have reviewed the literature with regard to anatomy, biomechanics, pathology, diagnosis, and treatment oflower cervical spine injuries with special attention to different treatment modalities. The material of this prospective study included 67 patients aged 18-70 years old with lower cervical spine injuries admitted to our hospital in the period between April 1997 and October 2000. Seventeen patients were treated non-operatively, IS patients were treated with anterior cervical spine surgery, 30 patients were treated with posterior cervical spine surgery, and 5 patients were treated with combined anterior and posterior surgeries. For the final neurological and functional results, patients were classified into 2 groups according to their neurological status, with the neurologically free patients or patients with incomplete cord injuries constituting the first group, and patients with