Cervical Spinal Fractures and Timing of Surgery

Subspecialty: Spine

Type: Clinical Summary

This summary covers the AOSpine subaxial cervical spine injury classification and the AO Spine Upper Cervical classification systems and synthesises evidence on timing of decompression from the STASCIS study. It explains the morphological basis of the classifications, the role of facet, neurologic and case-specific modifiers, the imaging strategies used to apply them, and the clinical evidence supporting early (< 24 hours) surgical decompression for traumatic cervical spinal cord injury. Overview The global burden of traumatic spinal cord injury is substantial; population estimates reported…

Source Papers

AOSpine subaxial cervical spine injury classification system (2016)
AO Spine Upper Cervical Injury Classification International Members. Global Validation of the AO Spine Upper Cervical Injury Classification. (2022)
Early versus Delayed Decompression for Traumatic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury: Results of the Surgical Timing in Acute Spinal Cord Injury Study (STASCIS) (2012)