[The surgical treatment of traumatic dislocations of the cervical spine]

Thirty patients with injury-induced complete and incomplete dislocations and of the cervical vertebral column were operated on. New and old dislocations (up to 28 days) were managed by the open reduction and stabilization of an injured segment by a two-vane monolithic corundum ceramic endoprosthesis. If there was a significant stability of the injured segment and if temporary external fixation could not be applied, C-shaped braces providing effects of thermomechanical shape memory were used. In old injury, corporectomy was performed by means of anterior wedging corporodesis with an autogenous bone graft or implants made from porous nickelled titanium.