COMPLETELY DISLOCATED HANGMANS FRACTURE WITH A LOCKED C2-3 FACET - CASE-REPORT

The authors report a rare case of a hangman's fracture involving compl ete dislocation of C-2 onto C-3, accompanied by a C2-3 locked facet an d asymptomatic bilateral vertebral artery injuries. The patient, a 25- year-old man who sustained a neck injury in an industrial accident, pr esented with a mild central spinal cord syndrome. His initial lateral cervical radiograph showed complete anterior dislocation of the C-2 bo dy onto C-3, bilateral neural arch fractures, and a unilateral locked facet. The mechanism was likely flexion and compression. The grossly u nstable spine and the locked facet were treated by posterior decompres sion, reduction, and C1-3 fixation. The patient recovered in several d ays and is without neurological deficit.