POST-TRAUMATIC LONG DISTANCE COMPLETE DISTRACTION INJURY AT C2-C3 CERVICAL SPINE LEVEL:A CASE REPORT

Acute injury of spine and spinal cord are among the most common causes of death and disability resulting from trauma. Spinal cord injuries like, the most traumatic injuries, tend to occur in a young, predominantly male population. Motor vehicle accidents cause between 35% to 45% of traumatic injury with cervical segment being most commonly involved .Fall is the second most common cause of cervical spine injuries. Judicial hangings are characterized by drops that are greater than the victim's height. In such drops, the head hyper-extends as the noose stops the victim. Classically, the result is bilateral fracture through the pedicles of C2 and the body of C2 is displaced anterior to the vertebral body of C3. The death is almost instantaneous in strangulation and a delayed death is very rare.Judicial hangings are uncommon worldwide. However, accidental hanging and strangulation injuries are becoming more prevalent in urban centres. In paedriatric population, injuries are more common between occipital and C2 level. In adults C3 to C7 level are more involved due to more mobility at this level,withC2-C3 level injury being uncommon. Thus we hereby report a rare case of complete C2-C3 distraction about 3 cm long distance with complete spinal cord transection at lower cervical level with bilateral vertebral artery thrombosis but posterior circulation was intact. The patient survived for 9 days on ventilator support.