[Burst fractures of the cervical vertebrae]

A series of 237 patients with burst fracture of the cervical spine was treated between 1965 and 1991. These fractures usually result from head-on dive or fall from the height leading to quadriplegia. An early surgical decompression of the spinal cord and fusion of the spine at the site of injury from the anterior approach is the treatment of choice in author's opinion. It improves neurological and functional results of treatment, shortens hospitalisation time.