Short-Term Outcomes Of Subaxial Cervical Injuries

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Initially, all patients with subaxial cervical spine fractures require immobilization in a rigid cervical orthosis (2). Patients receiving conservative treatment are often prescribed a rigid cervical or cervicothoracic orthosis for 6 to 12 weeks with regular follow-up and interval radiographs to assess alignment. Patients with fractures deemed unstable or neurologic compromise should undergo decompression and stabilization. Intervention within 24 hours of injury leads to better improvement in ASIA scores (3). The recent AO Spine Subaxial Classification system relies essentially on MSCT evaluation (Reference). However, MRI is superior to CT scans for evaluating the spinal cord, nerve roots, disc, and ligamentous structures in the cervical spine (4). Even though we receive and treat a large number of patients with various subaxial cervical injuries in Assiut University Hospital each year, there is no consensus about the best treatment options and uncertainty about the outcome of these treatments. In this study, we will assess the short-term outcomes of all patients with subaxial cervical fractures who will be admitted to our center regardless of the neurological status or treatment type used. We will also create a detailed prospective database to be used for another later study on the long-term outcome