Factors influencing the outcome of cervical spine injuries.

Factors such as cause of the trauma, concomitant injuries, and cervical sagittal spinal canal size were compared between survivors and nonsurvivors of cervical spine injuries. Traffic accidents were more commonly the cause of the trauma among nonsurvivors (76%) than among survivors (50%). Concomitant injuries were of a more serious degree among nonsurvivors than in survivors. Cervical sagittal spinal canal size was measured at the atlas level. Patients without any neurologic deficits had significantly (p less than 0.001) wider canals (24.1 mm) than fatalities (20.7 mm). The energy level at the moment of trauma and the cervical sagittal spinal canal size are of great importance for the survival prognosis and also probably for the genesis of various degrees of neurologic deficits.