Surgical treatment of a cervical spine fracture in an ankylosing spondylitis patient with severe global spine kyphosis and chin-on-chest deformity

Abstract

Since the patient and her family did not accept a conservative treatment and its neurologic risks, in which the skull traction and the custom-made halo-vest would last for several months, we decided to perform a posterior internal fixation and fusion surgery. After extensive discussions, our goals were to stabilize the fracture to prevent neurologic deterioration and to partly correct the chin-on-chest deformity to restore the pre-injury status. [...]a long segmental fixation (C2-T3) and fusion surgery with decompression of C6-C7 were performed, using a single posterior approach. [...]in old patients with severe global spine kyphosis and chin-on-chest deformity combined with cervical spine fracture, the treatment strategy should be aimed at stabilizing the fracture and relieving symptoms, rather than correcting the deformity.