Table of Contents
Cervical locked facet
see also Cervical facet dislocation.
Several cervical flexion injuries can result in locked facets (AKA sprung facets, jumped facets) with reversal of the normal shingled relationship between facets (normally the inferior facet of the level above is posterior to the superior facet of the level below).
Involves disruption of facet joint capsule.
Facets that have not completely locked but have had significant ligamentous disruption allowing distraction just short of the point of locking are known as perched facets.
Classification
Clinical features
Traumatic facet dislocations in the subaxial cervical spine, also known as locked facets, are commonly associated with neurological deficits.
Diagnosis
It is difficult to detect this fracture by routine plain radiographs.
Will produce subluxation
see Cervical unilateral locked facet diagnosis.
Sagittal CT: Usually the optimal manner to identify locked facets.
As the injury of ligamentous structures, intervertebral disc and spinal cord can be demonstrated easily with MRI.
MRI performed at acute phase can give more information about instability and will be helpful in planning the kind of management. However, this opinion still needs to be evaluated with a clinical study in a larger sample 1).