A child who recovered completely after spinal cord injury complicated by C2-3 fracture dislocation: case report.

STUDY DESIGN

This was a case of a child who recovered completely after spinal cord surgery complicated by C2-C3 fracture dislocation.

OBJECTIVES

To clarify the important issue with regard to the diagnosis and treatment of possible spinal cord injury complicated by C2-C3 fracture dislocation in children.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA

Reports on spinal cord injury complicated by C2-C3 fracture dislocation in children who recovered completely after surgery are very rare. Moreover, there are no reports of cases in which described MRI and magnetic resonance angiography obtained 5 years after surgery.

METHODS

A 4-year-old girl with complete fracture dislocation of C2-C3 and spinal cord injury of Frankel B because of a traffic injury. A middle incision was made in a prone position under general anesthesia, and C2-C3 was fixed with interlaminal wiring according to the McGraw modified method.

RESULTS

The postoperative course was excellent, and the patient recovered completely. An MRI performed 5 years after surgery revealed no definitive abnormality in spinal cord and patency of vertebral arteries.

CONCLUSION

This was a very rare case of spinal cord injury complicated C2-C3 fracture dislocation in children. The present case is of interest in that it demonstrated the possibility of recovery in a child from spinal cord injuries of Frankel B immediately after injury, if complex injuries in multiple organs are controlled by systemic management.