Anterior displacement correlates with neurological impairment in cervical facet dislocations

We studied all patients with either unifacetal or bifacetal dislocations treated in our National Spinal Injuries Unit between January 1996 and December 2000. There were 25 cases, of which 13 were unifacetal and 12 bifacetal. Craniocervical traction was employed in 21 cases and closed reduction achieved in 11. Eighteen patients underwent surgical stabilisation. Traction weights of up to 36 kg were employed, but there was no relationship found between the level of dislocation and traction weight. Anterior translation was measured by a newly described method, and we found a statistically significant correlation between the neurological score on admission and the degree of anterior translation.