Results of conservative treatment of unilateral cervical spine dislocations.

Unilateral cervical dislocations are less common and have fewer accompanying neurological complications than bilateral dislocations. Being therefore rated as "less serious", these injuries are often treated non-operatively. A review of 292 patients presenting with acute spine injuries revealed 32 cases of unilateral dislocation (11%). Analysis of their management showed that non-operative treatment was mostly unsatisfactory. Twenty-four of the 32 (75%) eventually required surgical correction. Surgery led to good results in all of these cases. We recommend surgery as a method of choice for patients with unilateral cervical dislocations.