Management of Misdiagnosed Bilateral Cervical Facet Dislocation: A Case Report

Yoosef Mehrabi; Christophe Vidal; Mohammad Hossein Nabian

doi:10.18502/jost.v8i1.9045

Yoosef Mehrabi Resident, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Shariati Hospital, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Christophe Vidal Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatric Orthopedics, Robert Debré Hospital, Paris 7 University, AP-HP, Paris, France
Mohammad Hossein Nabian Assistant Professor, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Shariati Hospital, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jost.v8i1.9045

Keywords: Cervical Vertebrae; Fracture Dislocation; Neck Pain; Traction

Abstract

Background: Despite improvement in technology and decision-making, misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of cervical spine injuries in trauma patients can cause severe irreparable neurological damage.

Case Report: We present here a 56-year-old man, with a history of old bilateral C4-C5 dislocation who, contrarily to classically described unfavorable results of cranial traction in patients with older than 3 weeks cervical injury, underwent optimal reduction under cranial traction for four days and surgical intervention with an anterior surgical approach.

Conclusion: Relatively high incidence of missed cervical spine injuries in polytrauma patients illustrates that proper clinical examination, use of designed protocols for clearance of cervical trauma, and accurate interpretation of radiological imaging can sometimes be neglected.