CERVICAL-SPINE INJURY COMPLICATING FACIAL TRAUMA - INCIDENCE AND MANAGEMENT

Purpose: To review the impact of concomitant cervical spine injury on the management of facial fractures in a tertiary care institution via a retrospective chart review. Patients and Methods: Within the past 10 years, 1,750 consecutive patients presented to our institution with f acial fractures. Thirty-two had concomitant cervical spine injury. Fiv e were transferred or died before treatment. The remaining 27 charts w ere reviewed in detail. Results: The incidence of cervical spine injur y among patients with facial fractures in our study was 1.8%. There we re no treatment delays attributed to these injuries. Of note was the i naccuracy of lateral cervical spine films in 9 of 27 cases (33%). Conc lusion: Although uncommon, cervical spine injury must be thoroughly ru led out before evaluation and management of facial trauma. Concomitant cervical spine injury should not delay appropriate and timely treatme nt of facial fractures because adequate means of intraoperative stabil ization are readily available. Copyright (C) 1997 by W.B. Saunders Com pany.