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. 2020 Dec;17(4):723-736.
doi: 10.14245/ns.2040226.113. Epub 2020 Dec 31.

Upper Cervical Spine Trauma: WFNS Spine Committee Recommendations

Oscar L Alves  1   2 , Leopoldina Pereira  1 , Se-Hoon Kim  3 , Andrey Grin  4   5 , Nobuyuki Shimokawa  6 , Nikolay Konovalov  7 , Mehmet Zileli  8
Affiliations

Upper Cervical Spine Trauma: WFNS Spine Committee Recommendations

Oscar L Alves et al. Neurospine. 2020 Dec.

Abstract

Craniovertebral junction (CVJ) trauma is a challenging clinical condition. Being a highly mobile functional unit at the junction of the skull and the vertebral column, traumatic events in this area may produce devastating neurological complications and death. Additionally, many of the CVJ traumatic injuries can be left undiagnosed or even raise difficult treatment dilemmas. We present a literature review in the format of recommendations on the diagnosis and management of different scenarios for upper cervical trauma and produce recommendations, which can be applicable to various areas of the globe.

Keywords: Atlantoaxial dislocation; Atlas fracture; Cervical spine trauma; Craniovertebral junction; Odontoid fractures.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have nothing to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Gehweiler’s classification for atlas fractures. Reprinted from Schleicher et al. Z Orthop Unifall 2019;157:566-73, with permission of Georg Thieme Verlag KG [16].
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Grauer’s classification of type II odontoid fractures.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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