Injury to the head and face in patients with cervical spine injury.

The charts of 81 patients with acute cervical spine fracture and/or subluxation were reviewed to determine the incidence of injury to the soft tissue and bone of the head or face in these patients. Motor vehicle accidents accounted for over 69% of these injuries. Only 33 patients had concomitant soft tissue injury to the head or face, and only five had facial and/or skull fractures. Injuries of the skull and face do not usually accompany cervical fractures, and our findings do not support the restriction of post-traumatic cervical spine radiography in the emergency department to patients with obvious head or facial trauma.