- Published guidelines and local protocols: Published guidelines (56) and institution-based guidelines should be used to direct initial evaluation and investigations.
- Nonoperative management: Many cervical spine injuries in children can be managed nonoperatively with orthotic immobilization, analgesia, and serial imaging.
- Halo-vests usage: Halo-vests provide the most effective means of external cervical immobilization. In young children (<5 years), 8–10 pins sites may be required. Halo-vest immobilization can be used in addition to surgical fusion in young children where rigid fixation is not feasible.
- Alignment: Restoration of alignment and maintenance of stability and preservation of neurological function are the goals of treatment.
- Rare need for fusion: Surgical fusions should be kept to a minimum number of levels required to achieve the treatment goals to reduce the problems of late adjacent-level disease.
- Sublaminar wires in young patients: Sublaminar cables provide a useful and effective means of securing rods or grafts in young children where lateral mass or pedicles are insufficient to hold screws (57)..
Management Tips for Cervical Spine Trauma in Children – Dominick Thompson, M.D
This page was last updated on February 24th, 2019