A Case Report of Cervical Vertebral Vertical Fracture

Abstract

A rare case with vertical fractures of the 5th and 6th cervical vertebral bodies was reported.Case: 54 years old, male.The patient was injured by falling down from the place of 5 meters heigh. He had complained a sensory disturbance on the both hands and feet from one and half month after the injury. On admission at our hospital, radiographical examinations including tomography on the frontal and horizontal plane schowed sagital fractures and dislocation of the 5th and 6th cervical vertebral bodies and arches. It was of interest that there exists no new bone formation and the fractures surfaces were of clear cut.As a method of the treatment, Halo-traction apparatus was applied for the reduction of the disalignment, having a good recovering of the neurological findings. After three weeks with the traction, anterior bodies fusion was followed.From the clinical findings of this patient, we supposed the following possible mechanism on this type of the fracture: The vertebrae recieved so much strong traumatic vertical force that the intervertebral disc drived as a “fluid wedge” into the body with some structural defect such as congenital sagital cleavage.