Cervical spine injuries in patients with head injuries.

Abstract

It is generally believed that significant head injury after a traffic accident or fall is associated with a high incidence of concurrent cervical spine injury. This study prospectively examined 260 victims of traffic accidents or falls with significant head injury. The incidence of associated cervical spinal injury was only 3.5 per cent. There was no association between the severity of head injury and the incidence of cervical spine injury. The risk of concurrent spinal injury in head injury patients is not higher than the reported risk in patients without head injury. Although care should be taken to protect the cervical spine in patients with head injury, the results of the present investigation show that the risk of cervical spine injury is much less than previously reported.