Author/Editor		Hočevar, Zvonko; Prijon, Ticijana; Ermenc, Branko
Title		Injury of cervical spine in deceased in road traffic accidents - autopsy findings
Type		članek
Source		In: Proceedings of the 10th international meeting on forensic medicine Alpe-Adria-Pannonia; 2001 May 23-26; Opatija. Zagreb: Department of forensic medicine and criminology school of medicine,
Publication year		2001
Volume		str. 24-8
Language		eng
Abstract		In a 4-year retrospective study of 431 motor vehicle fatalities autopsied by the Institute of forensic medicine Ljubljana, we selected all car drivers and passengers (217), revealed 61 cervical spine injuries in 29 victims (13,4%) in years 1996 to 2000. These were reviewed to determine the injury patterns, circumstances, and mechanisms involved. In addition, the survival time, the victims age and sex, and accompanying facial injuries were considered. The cervical spine injuries consisted of 24 fractures (4 were multiple), 22 dislocations (1 was multiple),15 spinal cord injuries, and 23 accompanying facial injuries. Eighty-two percent of the injuries were located above C4 level (15 fractures (25%), 20 dislocations (32%), and 15 spinal cord injuries (25%)). Death occurred on the spot of accident in 79%, during transportation to health care facilities in 10%, one victim died 1 day after t, one victim died 2days after, and one victim died 43 days after the accident. The impact was head- on in 86% of accidents. The victim was the driver in 59% (19/29), front seat passenger in 31 % (9/ 29), and rear seat passenger in 10% (3/29). Most cervical spine injuries were dislocations of craniocervical articulation. No conclusions regarding the biomechanical mode of injury were drawn.
Descriptors		CERVICAL VERTEBRAE ACCIDENTS, TRAFFIC SPINAL FRACTURES AUTOPSY SPINAL CORD INJURIES FORENSIC MEDICINE RETROSPECTIVE STUDIES