Dissemin is shutting down on January 1st, 2025

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Scientific Scholar, Surgical Neurology International, (12), p. 47, 2021

DOI: 10.25259/sni_761_2020

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Sequential traumatic cervical fractures after paragliding accidents – A case report and literature review

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

Background: Sports related cervical spine trauma may range from minor injuries to severe life-threatening fractures with spinal cord injuries as following paragliding accidents. Case Description: A 52-year-old male sustained C4-C5 and C6-C7 fracture-dislocations (American Spinal Injury Association-D) attributed to a paragliding accident. He underwent a C5 corpectomy with C4-C6 anterior fusion. Three years later, he again sustained a paragliding accident, now resulting in a C6-C7 fracture-dislocation that required a C6-C7 anterior discectomy fusion. However, when this latter fusion “failed” 1 month later, he subsequently required a 360° fusion performed as a two-stage procedure. Further, 2 years later, he was involved in a motor vehicle accident resulting in an odontoid fracture. Conclusion: Unstable spinal fractures require surgical fixation to prevent neurological injury. Long cervical fusions create lever arms that increase the stress to adjacent levels, rendering them prone to future injury.