APPLICATION OF THE HALO VEST FOR EXTERNAL IMMOBILIZATION OF THE CERVICAL SPINE

Abstract

We treated 14 patients with a variety of cervical spine disorders with immobilization by the halo vest. They consisted of four enlargement laminoplasties for a nallow cervical canal, six anterior decompression and fusions for spinal cord injury and OPLL, one odontoid fracture, one hangman's fracture, one Jefferson's fracture and one atlanto-axial dislocation. The average time of halo immobilization was 57 days.Eight complications resulted from the use of the ring, i.e., three involving tightness of the head, two pin slippage, one exudation, one headache, one loosened bolt. Complications from the vest included four cases of scapular pain, two of shoulder pain and limitation of shoulder movement, two of exanthema and one of clavicular pain. All complaints were easily reversible, and their occurrence did not influence the stabilization and ultimate fusion.The halo vest offers numerous advantages over the traditional skull tong traction and prolonged bed rest and other orthosis instruments. We would like to emphasize that the halo vest is an ideal instrument for both immediate treatment and long-term stabilization of the traumatized cervical spine.