Outcome of surgery for upper cervical spine injuries in Nigerians

. This is a review of the initial experience with surgical management of upper cervical spine injuries.

The clinical case notes of patients surgically managed for UCSI were analysed for aetiology, presentation, duration of symptoms before presentation and surgery, pre- and post-operative Frankel grading, nature of injury and type of surgery.

Eleven male and one female patients (mean age; 41.8 years; range 22-58 years) with UCSI were managed surgically. All the patients were involved in road traffic crashes. The case distribution were odontoid peg fracture [type II] alone (2 cases), hangman fracture alone (5 cases), both C1/2 subluxation and odontoid peg fracture (4 cases) and complex C2 injury (1 case). The surgical management includes C1 posterior ring excision and occipitocervical fusion [C0 - C4] (one patient), modified Gallie fusion alone (six patients), combined modified Gallie fusion and Rogers interspinous wiring (three patients). One patient each had C1/C2 interspinous wiring and combined modified Gallie fusion and occipito-cervical fusion [C0 - C4]. Post-operatively, two patients improved from Frankel C to D, 2 patients from C to E and one patient from D to E. The other patients with Frankel D and E injuries pre-operatively remained in status quo post-operatively. Eleven of the patients were discharged home on progressive ambulation with one having neck stiffness and one patient died 7 weeks post- surgery.

Odontoid peg and hangman fractures were the most common indications for upper cervical spine surgery for trauma in our unit, and the post- operative outcome appears satisfactory.