HYPEREXTENSION INJURY OF THE LOWER CERVIC AL-SPINE AND THE DIAGNOSTICPROCEDURE

Five patients with hyperextension injuries and dorsally instable motio n segments are presented. In the diagnosis of posterior instabilities plain roentgenograms demonstrated no characteristic signs of an injure d cervical spine. Flexion and extension views detected a mild degree ( 2 mm) of retrospondylolisthesis in four cases and a widened disc space in one case. In all five patients the MR findings that made use suspe ct a posterior unstable motion segment were disc protrusions; in addit ion, in two patients these was hemorrhage in the spinal cord and in on e patient cord edema.