Clinical presentation of patients with acute cervical spine injury

• Published in: Annals of emergency medicine Vol. 13; no. 7; pp. 512 - 515
• Main Authors: Walter, James, Doris, Peter E, Shaffer, Mark A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Mosby, Inc 01.01.1984
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Adolescent; Adult; cervical spine, fracture, occult; Cervical Vertebrae - injuries; Craniocerebral Trauma - complications; Female; fracture, cervical spine, occult; Fractures, Bone - diagnosis; Humans; Joint Dislocations - diagnosis; Male; Middle Aged; Retrospective Studies; spine, cervical, fracture; Unconsciousness - complications; cervical spine, fracture, occult; spine, cervical, fracture; fracture, cervical spine, occult
• ISSN: 0196-0644; 1097-6760
• DOI: 10.1016/S0196-0644(84)80515-6

A retrospective review of 67 patients with acute cervical spine fracture and/or dislocation was conducted at two suburban community hospital emergency departments. The mean age was 39, and two-thirds of the patients were male. Motor vehicle accidents and falls accounted for more than 80% of all injuries. On emergency department evaluation, it was found that there was no history of loss of consciousness in 42 patients (63%), no associated cranio-facial injuries in 31 patients (46%), and a normal sensorimotor examination in 59 patients (88%). Thirty-four patients (50%) were evaluated for cervical range of motion, which was found to be normal in one-third of the cases. The absence of mental status changes, cranio-facial injuries, range of motion abnormalities, and focal neurological findings is, therefore, not uncommon in patients who have sustained cervical spine injury.