Halo Vest treatment of upper cervical vertebral fracture

Abstract

Objective: In this study we aimed to investigate the ef­ficacy, long term result and associated complications of Halo Vest treatment for patients with upper cervical spine fractures. Methods: This study included 13 patients (11 men and 2 women) who applied Halo Vest treatment for traumatic upper cervical vertebral fracture between 2006 and 2011. We reviewed the radiological and clinical findings of pa­tients before and after the treatment. Results: Six of 13 patients had odontoid type 3 fracture, 2 patients had odontoid type 2 fracture with C1 type 1 fracture, 2 patients had odontoid type 2 fracture with Jef­ferson fracture, one patient had type 2 hangman fracture and two patients had unclassified C2 corpus fractures. The mean follow-up time with Halo Vest was 14 weeks (10-21 weeks). Ten patients had bone fusion and the mean time of bone fusion was 12 weeks. Conclusions: Halo Vest treatment for upper cervical spine fracture is a safe and effective method but the pa­tients comfort and satisfaction are low.