Diagnosis and treatment of traumatic displacement of middle and lower cervical spine

Treatment results for 142 patients with traumatic displacement of the middle and lower cervical spine are presented. Results of the experimental study of the volume and pattern of disk-ligamentous structure injuries in correlation with the degree of vertebral elements displacement detected by the profile spondylogram were used in the course of treatment. Authors distinguish 3 types of acute traumatic disk-ligamentous instability and define the adequate treatment tacktics: 1) relative posterior ligamentous instability - conservative treatment using soft external immobilization by Shanz’s collar or a similar one; 2) absolute favorable disk-ligamentous instability - conservative treatment using stiff immobilization devices such as thoracocranial plaster bandage; 3) absolute unfavorable disk-ligamentous instability - surgical treatment, predominantly anterior corporodesis.