An article published in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine compares surgical and non-surgical treatment of unilateral, nondisplaced, subaxial cervical spine facet fractures without evidence of spinal cord injury.
The article examined data and outcomes from 25 patients who either received surgical or non-surgical treatment for unilateral nondisplaced subaxial facet fractures. Around 40 percent of the patients in the investigation did not have successful management; nine in the non-surgical group and one in the surgical group.
The unsuccessful management was greater in younger patients, which study authors suggest could indicate selection bias. They also found the fracture plane, instability and SLIC scores did not play a significant role in treatment failure for this study.
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