Factors to affect severity of hyperextension injury of cervical spinal cord

OBJECTIVE: To explore the factors to affect severity of hyperextension injury of the cervical spinal cord (HEICSC). METHODS: Forty-five patients with HEICSC, 35 males and 10 females, aged 27-67 years old (mean 48.2 years old), were retrospectively analyzed. The disease course was 30 minutes to 16 days. According to modified Frankel grading, there were 6 cases of grade A, 8 cases of grade B, 16 cases of grade C and 15 cases of grade D. Spinal cord injuries (SCI) segments were determined according to SCI plane and high signal change (HSC) in spinal cord on MR images. The whole or large part of HSC segments were supposed to be main injured spinal cord segments (MISCSs) and the staccato or patchy HSC ones were supposed to be common injured spinal cord segments (CISCSs). When the external force acting on head or face suffered was larger, the force produced during high-speed movement or forehead and/or face had severe contused and/or) lacerated wound, the force was defined severe traumatic strength, whereas the reverse was true for slight traumatic strength. According to signal magnitude of the cervical discs on T2-weighted MR images, degeneration of cervical discs and cervical vertebras were classified into 5 grades: grade 0-4. Cervical spinal stenosis were graded to 5 grades according to the width of anterior or posterior cerebrospinal fluid layer to spinal cord on T2-weighted MR images and compressed degree of spinal cord on T1-weighted MR images. The influence of traumatic strength, cervical spinal degeneration or cervical spinal stenosis on SCI were explored. RESULTS: Among the 45 cases, 12 cases were caused by slight traumatic strength, 33 cases were caused by severe one. The cervical spinal cord was injuried more slightly and the patients were older in the slight traumatic strength cases than in the severe ones (P Language: zh