Comparison of radiological and clinical outcomes after surgical reduction with fixation or halo-vest immobilization for treating unstable atlas fractures

摘要

Background Unstable atlas fractures with concomitant transverse atlantal ligament (TAL) injury may be conservatively managed by halo-vest immobilization (HVI) or surgically treated by various fixation techniques. Many surgeons prefer surgical management due to complications, nonunion, and further dislocations with HVI. There are no comparative studies on surgical and nonsurgical management of unstable atlas fractures. We retrospectively assessed the radiological and clinical outcomes of surgical reduction with fixation vs. non-operative treatments for unstable atlas fractures with TAL rupture.