Prognostic factors in distractive extension injuries of the subaxial cervical spine

The subaxial spine has high risk of fatal damage by trauma and thereby requires more accurate and aggressive treatment. For the proper treatment and predicting the prognosis, the evaluation to reveal the risk factors for the prognosis is important. We analyzed the various factors contributing to the prognosis in distractive extension injuries of the subaxial cervical spine.

The study included 103 patients who were diagnosed as distractive extension injury of subaxial cervical spine. We evaluate the patient age, sex, cause of injury, initial neurological impairment, number and portion of injured segment, spinal stenosis, extent of soft tissue damage, ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament, and degenerative spondylosis as a prognostic factor. To analyze the factor related with prognosis, the subjects were divided into group A, in which patients had neurological recovery ≥grade 2 on the ASIA scale or showed normal in final follow-up and group B, in which patients have no neurological recovery.

Prognosis was not associated with age, sex, and cause of injury (P = 0.677, 0.541, and 0.965, respectively). Prognosis was poor in cases with spinal stenosis (P = 0.009), soft tissue damage ≥grade 3 on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (P = 0.002), or severe neurological impairment (P ≤ 0.001). Logistic regression analysis also showed that prognosis was poor in cases with spinal stenosis (OR 5.03; 95% CI 1.20-16.93), soft tissue damage ≥grade 3 on MRI (OR 7.63; 95% CI 1.86-31.34), or severe neurological impairment (ASIA C, D, OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.14-2.41; ASIA A, B, OR 18.43, 95% CI 1.64-207.69).

The prognosis of patients with distractive extension injury of the subaxial cervical spine was poor in cases with spinal stenosis, severe soft tissue damage in MRI findings or severe initial neurological impairment.