Unilateral Cervical Facet Dislocation Research Articles

Anterior reduction and fusion for acute unilateral cervical facet dislocation without severe spinal cord injuries

PurposeThis study aimed to evaluate safety and effectiveness of simple anterior reduction and fusion for acute lower cervical unilateral facet dislocation without severe spinal cord injuries. Materials and methodsOne hundred and two patients with unilateral cervical facet dislocations without severe spinal cord injuries who were surgically treated by the only anterior approach were analyzed. The treatment effects were evaluated based on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores, the Cobb angle of kyphosis, the Neck Disability Index (NDI) and Odom’s criteria. Neurological recovery of patients was assessed by the Frankel grading. ResultsThe mean duration of follow-up was 12.4 ± 4.2 years (range, 10 to 17 years). VAS scores, Kyphosis angle and NDI scores were significantly changed from preoperative values of 7.4 ± 0.8, 11.3° ± 6.8° and 29.3 ± 5.1 to last follow-up values of 1.3 ± 0.8, −6.1° ± 7.5° and 8.8 ± 3.6 (P = 0.000). Of patients, 92 (90.2%) had good to excellent outcomes, 9 (8.8%) had satisfactory outcomes, and 1 (1.0%) had poor outcomes. Patients have obtained satisfactory neurological recovery. Three patients needed additional posterior reduction. ConclusionThe anterior reduction and fusion is effective and safe for acute unilateral cervical facet dislocation, and can achieve good long-term clinical effects.

Management of irreducible unilateral facet joint dislocations in subaxial cervical spine: two case reports and a review of the literature

BackgroundSkeletal and soft tissue damage are often associated with unilateral facet dislocations, which undoubtedly lead to instability of the spine and further increase difficulties in cervical reduction. This type of irreducible facet dislocation is usually accompanied with potential catastrophic consequences including neurological deficit and severe disability. Therefore, a consistent and evidence-based treatment plan is imperative.Case presentationThe literature regarding the management of traumatic unilateral locked cervical facet dislocations was reviewed. Two patient cases (a 30-year-old Asian man and a 25-year-old Asian woman) who suffered irreducible cervical facet dislocations were presented. These two patients received surgical treatments including posterior reduction by poking facet joints, adjacent spinous process fixation by wire rope banding, anterior plate fixation, and intervertebral fusion after the failure of skull traction and closed reduction. At the postoperative 24-month follow-up, intervertebral fusion was achieved and our patients’ neurological status improved based on the American Spinal Injury Association scale, compared with their preoperative status.ConclusionsUnilateral facet joint dislocations of subaxial cervical spine are difficult to reduce when complicated with posterior facet fractures or ligamentous injury. Magnetic resonance imaging can be beneficial for identifying ventral and dorsal compressive lesions, as well as ligamentous or capsule rupture. The combination of posterior reduction and anterior fixation with fusion has advantages in terms of clinical safety, ease of operation, and less iatrogenic damage.

Anterior pedicle spreader reduction for unilateral cervical facet dislocation

ObjectiveThe anterior only surgical procedure including discectomy, open reduction and fusion is used as a recommended approach in the treatment of unilateral cervical facet dislocations, but is difficult to achieve satisfactory anterior open reduction by vertebra distractor to spread the facet joints, especially for delayed management of unilateral cervical facet dislocation (7–21days). The goal of this study was to report an anterior pedicle spreader technique to distract directly the facet joint for anterior reduction and the results of 4 patients with successful application and describe safety. MethodsFour patients with unilateral cervical facet dislocation who failed to open anterior reduction by vertebra spreader procedure were surgically treated by the anterior pedicle spreader reduction. In these 4 patients (3 males and 1 female), the distribution of spine level was from C4/5 to C6/7; the neurological status was comprised 2 patients with ASIA E, 1 with D and 1 with A; the surgical management was ranged from 7 to 18days. After discectomy, if failed to open anterior reduction procedure, the anterior pedicle spreader was inserted along the pedicle axis with the fluoroscope-assisted view imaging. The spreader was distracted directly to the facet joint and pushed in a caudad direction to achieve posterior translation of the upper segment. ResultsPostoperatively, all patients had obtained successful reduction and satisfactory anatomic sagittal alignment. There was no complication owing to the use of this technique. The ASIA A showed no neurological improvement; the patient with ASIA D was improved neurologically to ASIA E; no ASIA E patients showed neurological deterioration. ConclusionsAnterior pedicle spreader reduction represents an efficacious but technically challenging option for the delayed treatment of unilateral cervical facet dislocation.

Current research on unilateral cervical facet dislocation of the lower cervical spine

Unilateral facet dislocation of the lower cervical spine is an important subgroup of cervical spine injuries, accounting for from 12% to 16% of all cervical spine injuries. Unilateral facet dislocation occurs the most commonly at the C5-6 level, and is closely related to the anatomic and morphometric features of the cervical facet. This injury has been attributed to combined flexion and rotation, but it remains unclear whether flexion or rotation is the component of greater importance. Its treatment includes nonoperative and operative measures but optimal treatment has not been established. It is generally accepted that a recommendable treatment protocol begins with closed reduction and proceeds depending on whether the closed reduction succeeds and traumatic disc herniation is present or not. Key words: Cervical vertebrae; Dislocation; Treatment; Unilateral cervical facet

Management of Subaxial Cervical Facet Dislocation Through Anterior Approach Monitored by Spinal Cord Evoked Potential

Retrospective case series. To discuss the clinical efficacy of anterior cervical surgery of decompression, reduction, stabilization, and fusion in treating subaxial cervical facet dislocation without spinal cord injury or with mild spinal cord injury monitored by spinal cord evoked potential. The optimal treatment of lower cervical facet dislocation has been controversial. Because of the risk of iatrogenic damage of neurological function, it is challenging for surgeons to manage the lower cervical facet dislocation without or with mild spinal cord injury. To avoid the risks, more secure strategy need to be designed. A retrospective study was performed on 17 cases of subaxial cervical facet dislocation without spinal cord injury or with mild spinal cord injury treated by anterior cervical surgery under spinal cord evoked potential monitor from January 2008 to June 2012. There were 12 males, 5 females, with a mean age of 40.1 years (from 21 to 73 yr). Dislocation sites: 1 in C3-C4, 2 in C4-C5, 6 in C5-C6, 8 in C6-C7; 10 cases with unilateral cervical facet dislocation, 7 cases with bilateral dislocation. Thirteen patients were preoperatively classified as grade D and 4 as E according to Frankel standard. All patients were followed up for average of 16 months. All operations were completed successfully. Postoperative radiographs showed that the sequence and curvature of the cervical spine were well recovered. And, evidence of intervertebral fusion was observed at 3 months in all cases. No redislocation or symptoms of spinal cord injury occurred. Thirteen cases with mild spinal cord injury recovered at 1 month after operation. Anterior cervical surgery of decompression, reduction, stabilization, and fusion monitored by spinal cord evoked potential is an effective and safe method for treatment of subaxial cervical facet dislocation without or with mild spinal cord injury. 4.

Surgical treatment for unilateral cervical facet dislocation in a young child aged 22 months old: a case report and review of the literature

Cervical unilateral facet dislocation (UFD) in the younger children (0-10 years old) has rarely been reported in the literature and most surgeons have no experience for this kind of injury. Here, we reported a rare case of cervical UFD in a 22-month-old girl. Clinical and radiological findings of this patient were described. Because closed reduction failed, operative reduction and fixation was performed using titanium miniplates. We also reviewed the related literature. There was a significant improvement in neurological function during the follow-up period, and no complications developed. To our knowledge, the only similar case reported in the literature was a 9-year-old boy, who was successfully treated by closed reduction and immobilized with a rigid cervical collar. Cervical UFD in young children is definitely a great challenge, and each patient requires individual treatment. Closed reduction along with rigid immobilization is the first choice at the early stage, and operative treatment is indicated for cases that involved neurological deterioration, demonstrated recurrence,significant instability and failed closed reduction. However, long-term results and complications of surgical treatment in the pediatric population are worrisome.

Unilateral cervical facet dislocation: a biomechanical study of several constructs including unilateral lateral mass fixation supplemented by an interspinous cable

Both ventral and dorsal operative approaches have been used to treat unilateral cervical facet injuries. The gold standard ventral approach is anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. There is, however, no clear gold standard dorsal operation. In this study, the authors tested the stability of multiple posterior constructs, including unilateral lateral mass fixation supplemented by an interspinous cable. Six fresh human cervical spine specimens (C3-T1) were tested by applying pure moments to the C-3 vertebral body in increments of 0.5 Nm from 0 Nm to 2.0 Nm. Each specimen was tested in the following 8 conditions (in the order shown): 1) intact; 2) after destabilization via injury to the C5-6 facet; 3) with bilateral C5-6 lateral mass screws and rods; 4) after further destabilization by creating a right unilateral lateral mass fracture of C-5 (which rendered secure screw placement into the right C-5 lateral mass impossible); 5) with unilateral left C5-6 lateral mass screws and rod; 6) with unilateral C5-6 lateral mass screws and rod supplemented with an interspinous cable; 7) with a bilateral multilevel dorsal construct C4-6; and 8) after a C5-6 anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) procedure with a polyetheretherketone graft and plate. The bilateral C5-6 lateral mass construct reduced the range of C5-6 motion to 33.6% of normal. The unilateral C5-6 lateral mass construct resulted in an increased range of motion to 110.1% of normal. The unilateral lateral mass construct supplemented by an interspinous cable reduced the C5-6 range of motion to 89.4% of normal. The bilateral C4-6 lateral mass construct reduced the C5-6 range of motion to 44.2% of normal. The C5-6 ACDF construct reduced the C5-6 range of motion to 62.6% of normal. The unilateral lateral mass construct supplemented by an interspinous cable does reduce range of motion compared with an intact specimen, but is significantly inferior to a C4-6 bilateral lateral mass construct. When using a dorsal approach, the unilateral construct with a cable should only be considered in selected instances.

Delayed Presentation of Cervical Facet Dislocations

To review treatment outcomes of 19 patients with delayed presentation of cervical facet dislocations. Records of 17 men and 2 women aged 21 to 63 (mean, 39) years who presented with unilateral (n=14) or bilateral (n=5) cervical facet dislocation after a delay of 7 to 21 (mean, 14) days were reviewed. The most common level of dislocation was C5-C6 (n=9), followed by C4-C5 (n=6), C3- C4 (n=2), and C6-C7 (n=2). The neurological status was graded according to the Frankel classification. One patient (with bilateral facet dislocation) had complete quadriplegia (grade A), 11 had incomplete spinal cord injury (grades C and D), and 7 had nerve root injury. Closed reduction using continuous skull traction for 2 days was attempted. In patients achieving closed reduction, only anterior discectomy and fusion was performed. Those who failed closed reduction underwent posterior partial/complete facetectomy and fixation. If there was traumatic disk prolapse, anterior decompression and fusion was then performed. The mean follow-up was 46 (range, 12- 108) months. 10 of 14 patients with unilateral facet dislocation were reduced with traction and then underwent anterior discectomy and fusion. The remaining 4 patients who failed closed reduction underwent posterior facetectomy and fixation; 3 of them had traumatic disk prolapse and thus also underwent anterior discectomy and fusion with cage and plate. Four of the 5 patients with bilateral facet dislocations failed closed reduction and underwent posterior facetectomy and lateral mass fixation, as well as anterior surgery. The remaining patient achieved reduction after traction and hence underwent only anterior discectomy and fusion. All patients achieved pain relief and sufficient neck movement for normal activities. All 7 patients with nerve root injury improved completely; 9 of the 11 patients with incomplete spinal cord injury improved by one Frankel grade, and the remaining 2 by 2 grades. The patient with complete quadriplegia showed no improvement. Preoperative traction is a safe and effective initial treatment for neglected cervical facet dislocation, as it reduces the need for extensive (anterior and posterior) surgery. If closed reduction is successful, anterior discectomy and fusion is the surgery of choice. If not, posterior facetectomy and fusion followed by anterior surgery is preferred.

Unilateral Cervical Facet Dislocation in a 9-Year-Old Boy

Facet dislocations in children are rare. This article presents the youngest case of a unilateral facet dislocation described in the pediatric population. A 9-year-old boy sustained a flexion/axial loading injury to his cervical spine while wrestling with his friends, causing a unilateral facet dislocation at C4/5. Prereduction magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated the absence of a diskal herniation or cord impingement and an intact posterior ligamentous complex. Due to the patient's young age, the decision was made to forgo a supervised awake closed reduction. Closed reduction was performed under general anesthesia with somatosensory-evoked potential and motor-evoked potential monitoring. Closed reduction was successfully achieved after Gardner-Wells tongs were applied and used to manually direct slow, steady in-line traction, along with slight flexion and posterior rotation of the dislocated side under direct fluoroscopy. The patient was immediately awakened from anesthesia and was found to have an intact sensory examination. He was immobilized in a cervical collar for 12 weeks. At 2-year follow-up, he remained asymptomatic without recurrence and had painless full range of motion of the cervical spine. Radiographs revealed a normally aligned cervical spine. Unilateral cervical facet dislocations and subluxations are the result of a distractionflexion force applied to the spine along with a rotational component. These are not uncommon injuries in the adult spine; however, in the young pediatric population, cervical facet dislocations are rare.

Utility of Helical Computed Tomography in Differentiating Unilateral and Bilateral Facet Dislocations

Objective: Diagnosis of cervical facet dislocation is difficult when relying on plain radiographs alone. This study evaluates the interobserver reliability of helical computed tomography (CT) in the assessment of cervical translational injuries, correlates the radiographic diagnosis with intraoperative observation, and examines the role of neurologic injury in the evaluation and diagnosis of these injuries.Methods: Clinical histories and radiographic studies of 10 patients with cervical facet dislocations were presented to 25 surgeons. Participants classified cases as unilateral or bilateral facet dislocations after reviewing selected axial CT slices and sagittal reconstructions. Surgeons' interpretations were compared with intraoperative diagnosis. Participants interpreted the same radiographic studies with 3 different clinical scenarios: neurologically intact, incomplete, and complete spinal cord injury. Vertebral body translation from midsagittal CT was evaluated to confirm whether all unilateral facet dislocations had < 25% translation.Results: Interrater κ coefficient showed moderate agreement between observers in classifying injuries as unilateral or bilateral (κ: 0.54-0.58), regardless of neurologic status. Percent agreement among observers varied from 50% to 100% for each individual case. Agreement was statistically higher for bilateral facet dislocation (85%) than for unilateral dislocations (78%), with 1 unilateral fracture showing nearly 50% translation on a midsagittal image.Conclusions: The addition of helical CT to reconstruction enables spine surgeons to more reliably distinguish bilateral from unilateral cervical facet dislocations. Despite frequent occurrence of these injuries and presumed agreement on injury description, agreement may be improved by a more precise definition of facet dislocations and subluxations and thorough review of all imaging studies.

Clinical Outcomes of 90 Isolated Unilateral Facet Fractures, Subluxations, and Dislocations Treated Surgically and Nonoperatively

A retrospective outcomes study. The purposes of this study were 1) to identify plausible patient and interventional variables that influence the outcome of unilateral facet injuries and 2) to determine if patients return to normal general health status after unilateral facet injuries. The management of unilateral subaxial cervical facet fractures and dislocations lacks agreement on treatment options and the variables that influence outcome. Injury data, radiographs, and outcomes (North American Spine Society Cervical Follow-up Questionnaire and Short Form-36) were collected from 9 centers and 13 surgeons, members of the Spine Trauma Study Group. Causally motor vehicle accidents (49%) and sports (31%) predominated. The C6-C7 level accounted for 60% of injuries and C5-C6 represented 17%. The mean SF-36 PCS score of the operative patients with follow-up >18 months was 6.70 points higher than the mean of the nonoperative patients (P = 0.017). The SF-36 Bodily Pain mean of all patients was 67.2 (SD = 27.6), significantly lower (more pain) than the normative mean of 75.2 (SD = 23.7) (P = 0.014). Nonoperative patients also reported a mean Bodily Pain score of 63.0 (SD = 30.5) that was significantly worse than normative values (P = 0.031). Similarly, the NASS PD mean score for all patients was 84.8 (SD = 17.9), significantly lower than the normative mean of 89.1 (SD = 15.5) (P = 0.014). To our knowledge this is the largest reported series of facet injuries to date and the only one using health-related quality of life instruments. Unilateral facet injuries of the subaxial cervical spine led to reported levels of pain and disability that are significantly worse than those of the healthy population. Although further study is required, we suggest that nonoperatively treated patients report worse outcomes than operatively treated patients, particularly at longer follow-up despite having a more benign fracture pattern. The presence of comorbidities, associated injuries, and advanced age adversely impact clinical outcomes.

The Radiographic Failure of Single Segment Posterior Cervical Instrumentation in Traumatic Cervical Flexion Distraction Injuries

Background/Objectives: Unilateral and bilateral cervical facet subluxations, dislocations, and/or fractures may be managed with anterior, posterior, or combined surgical approaches. The primary objective of this study was to identify radiographic features that predispose to poor radiographic outcomes (kyphosis) when these injuries are treated with single segment posterior cervical instrumentation and fusion. Method: A retrospective radiographic review was performed on 65 patients whose unilateral or bilateral facet subluxation/dislocations or fracture dislocation was managed with single segment posterior cervical instrumentation and fusion. The pre- and postoperative plain radiographs, CT, and MRI were assessed to identify the fracture type, degree of kyphosis, translation, and radiographic failure. Results: 2 patients (3.5%) demonstrated gross radiographic failure of the posterior instrumentation. Both had bilateral facet subluxation without fracture and ultimately required anterior revision. Kyphosis at...

Unilateral cervical facet dislocation: injury mechanism and biomechanical consequences.

Human cadaveric cervical spines were subjected to nondestructive repeated-measures flexibility tests before, during, and after unilateral facet dislocation. To assess the relative stability and kinematics of the spine in the normal condition, after unilateral facet lock without bony injury and after reducing (unlocking) the facet dislocation. Experimental unilateral facet dislocation has been studied only when associated with extensive damage to disc, bone, or both. The relative stability of the normal, locked, and unlocked cervical spine has not been studied. Unilateral facet dislocation with minimal associated injury was created by slowly applying axial torque while specimens were bent laterally and flexed. Before and after injury, nondestructive torques were applied about each anatomic axis, while three-dimensional specimen motion was recorded stereophotogrammetrically. Unilateral facet dislocation was created with a mean axial torque of 10.2 +/- 2.7 Nm. After locking, range of motion, lax zone, and stiff zone were significantly reduced relative to normal (P < 0.05). After unlocking, the same parameters were significantly increased relative to normal. The position of the axis of rotation shifted when the facet was locked and the centrode elongated after the facet was unlocked. Unilateral facet dislocation without fracture can be created with moderate loads when axial torque is applied while the facet is distracted. The spine is stable while the articular masses are locked unilaterally; however, the motion segment becomes overtly unstable after the facet dislocation is reduced.

Magnetic resonance imaging analysis of soft tissue disruption after flexion-distraction injuries of the subaxial cervical spine.

A retrospective study was performed with the use of magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate the type and degree of soft tissue disruption associated with flexion-distraction injuries of the subaxial spine. To determine what soft tissue structures are injured in flexion-distraction injuries of the subaxial spine. Prior published reports of unilateral and bilateral cervical facet dislocations have described the analyzed mechanisms and biomechanics of this injury subtype. No retrospective magnetic resonance imaging analysis of associated soft tissue disruption has been documented. Magnetic resonance imaging evaluations of the cervical spine were obtained for all patients with a flexion-distraction injury, Stages 2 (unilateral facet dislocation) and 3 (bilateral facet dislocation), between September 1994 and May 1998. Two neuroradiologists, blinded to both clinical and radiographic findings, graded all the soft tissue structures for evidence of attenuation or disruption. The soft tissue structures were graded on a scale of 1 (intact), 2 (indeterminate), or 3 (disrupted). For this study, 48 patients satisfied the inclusion criteria: 25 with unilateral facet dislocation and 23 with bilateral facet dislocation. Disruption to the posterior musculature, interspinous ligament, supraspinous ligament, facet capsule, ligamentum flavum, and posterior and anterior longitudinal ligaments was found in a statistically significant number of patients with bilateral facet dislocation. For most of these structures, disruption was found to be statistically significant in patients with a unilateral facet dislocation, except for the posterior longitudinal ligament, in which significance was not consistently demonstrated using 95% confidence intervals in the binomial testing. In a comparison between unilateral and bilateral facet dislocations using a two-sided Fisher's exact test, it was found that disruption to the anterior and posterior longitudinal ligaments and the left facet capsule were statistically significant, with all three more prominent in bilateral facet dislocation. A multivariate analysis between unilateral and bilateral facet dislocations showed that disruption to the anterior longitudinal ligament was associated significantly with a bilateral facet dislocation. Disc disruption was found to be associated significantly with both injury types, but was more common in bilateral facet dislocation, although this difference in intergroup comparisons was not statistically significant. Unilateral and bilateral facet dislocations of the subaxial spine are associated with damage to numerous soft tissue structures that provide stability to the lower cervical spine. Damage to the posterior longitudinal ligament did not occur consistently in unilateral facet dislocations. Bilateral facet dislocations were associated significantly with disruption to the posterior and anterior longitudinal ligaments and left facet capsule, as compared with unilateral facet dislocations. Magnetic resonance imaging allows visualization of these disruptions.

In vitro genesis of subaxial cervical unilateral facet dislocations through sequential soft tissue ablation.

In vitro anatomic study investigating the degree of soft tissue disruption required to produce a subaxial cervical unilateral facet dislocation. To develop an understanding of the relative contributions to stability of the subaxial cervical soft tissues and to define an anatomic threshold of injury necessary to produce a unilateral cervical facet dislocation. The literature at this time is unclear regarding the precise pathomechanics of a cervical unilateral facet dislocation and the required threshold of soft tissue injury necessary for its genesis. Published clinical reports do not make any specific reference to these factors or are unclear in their objectivity. Two adjacent vertebra at a time in 10 fresh-frozen subaxial cervical spine specimens (C2-C3 to C6-C7) were transfixed in the coronal plane with 3.5-mm Schanz screws. A steady unilateral vertical distraction force resulting in lateral cervical flexion was applied to these screws as the surrounding cervical soft tissue structures were sequentially ablated. Four experimental models were developed, varying the order of soft tissue disruption. The physiologic coupling of subaxial cervical unilateral distraction and rotation, because of the spatial orientation or inclination of the cervical facet joints, allowed the creation of a unilateral facet dislocation without an additional flexion moment. Disruption of the ipsilateral articular capsule, ligamentum flavum, and more than half of the anulus fibrosus was necessary for the genesis of a unilateral facet dislocation. Disruption of the supraspinous and interspinous ligaments was not necessary but appeared to facilitate or lessen the force required to dislocate a unilateral facet. Disruption of the anterior and posterior longitudinal ligaments and intertransverse ligaments was not necessary to create a unilateral facet dislocation. This anatomic study further supports the theory that discontinuity of the anterior and posterior longitudinal ligaments is not necessary for a unilateral facet dislocation to occur. The ipsilateral facet capsule, anulus fibrosus, and ligamentum flavum appear to be the physical soft tissue restraints that need to be disrupted to produce a unilateral facet dislocation.

Cervical facet dislocation: techniques for ventral reduction and stabilization

To demonstrate the safety and utility of one surgical approach, the authors reviewed their experience with the ventral surgical approach for decompression, reduction, and stabilization in 10 patients with either unilateral or bilateral cervical facet dislocation. Six patients presented with unilateral cervical facet dislocation and four patients with bilateral cervical facet dislocation. There were six male and four female patients who ranged in age from 17 to 72 years (average 37.1 years). The level of facet dislocation was C4-5 in one, C5-6 in four, and C6-7 in five patients. Three patients presented with a complete spinal cord injury (SCI), three patients with an incomplete SCI, three with radicular symptoms or myeloradiculopathy, and one patient was neurologically intact. All patients underwent plain radiography, magnetic resonance imaging, and computerized tomography evaluation of the cervical spine. All patients had sustained significant ligamentous injury with minimum or no bone disruption. All patients underwent ventral decompressive surgery, reduction of the dislocation, and stabilization of the cervical spine. Techniques for performing ventral reduction of unilateral or bilateral cervical facet dislocation are described. Decompression, reduction, and stabilization of the cervical spine via the ventral approach was accomplished in all but one patient. This patient underwent a ventral decompressive procedure and an attempt at ventral reduction and subsequent dorsal reduction and fusion in which a lateral mass screw plate fixation system was used; this was followed by ventral placement of instrumentation and fusion. There were no surgery-related complications. Postoperative neurological status was unchanged in four patients and improved in six patients. No patient experienced neurological deterioration after undergoing this surgical approach. The authors conclude that a ventral surgical decompression, reduction, and stabilization procedure provides a safe and effective alternative for the treatment of patients with unilateral or bilateral cervical facet dislocation without significant bone disruption.