Epidemiology of Cervical Spine Fractures

BACKGROUND: Epidemiology of cervical spine fractures (CSfx) in trauma patients of general population is not yet exclusively known. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the epidemiology of CSfx in trauma patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data from trauma patients admitted in the emergency room (ER) of Shiraz Shahid Rajaei hospital during the 3.5 years period from September 22, 2009 to March 21, 2013, were gathered. All trauma patients with CSfx and/or spinal cord injuries were included in the study. The time of the trauma, mechanism of trauma, injury position, and incidence of cervical spine fractures in the patients were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 469 patients met the inclusion criteria. The mean age of the patients was 34.7 years old, with a minimum age of 16 years old and a maximum age of 89 years old. Young adults were most frequently affected. Out of 469 cases, 368 patients (78.47%) were male and 101 (21.53%) were female. We had a total of 17 SCI cases among our patients (3.62%), out of which 5 (29.41%) were deceased. The total number of deaths in our study was 29 (6.18%); 5 (17.24%) with SCI and 24 (82.76%) without SCI. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that most victims of CSfx in our region are 16 to 40 years of age. A male predominance was observed, and motor vehicle collisions were the most frequent trauma mechanism leading to cervical spine injury (mostly due to car rollover accidents), with falls as the second most frequent. The rate of SCI in our study was 3.62% of all cases and the mortality rate was 6.18%.