HANGMAN'S FRACTURES

Course overview

A HANGMAN’S FRACTURE IS A BILATERAL FRACTURE TRAVERSING THE PARS INTERARTICULARIS OF CERVICAL VERTEBRAE 2 (C2) WITH AN ASSOCIATED TRAUMATIC SUBLUXATION OF C2 ON CERVICAL VERTEBRAE 3 (C3). IT IS THE SECOND MOST COMMON FRACTURE OF THE C2 VERTEBRAE FOLLOWING A FRACTURE OF THE ODONTOID PROCESS. IN THE ACUTE SETTING, A RIGID CERVICAL COLLAR SHOULD BE IMMEDIATELY PLACED. THE MAJORITY OF HANGMAN’S FRACTURES MAY BE SUCCESSFULLY TREATED WITH EXTERNAL ORTHOSIS ALONE. VASCULAR IMAGING SHOULD BE PERFORMED IN ALL C1 TO C3 FRACTURES. MANAGEMENT OPTIONS VARY DEPENDING ON THE SPECIFICS OF THE INJURY. THIS ACTIVITY DESCRIBES THE PRESENTATION, EVALUATION, AND MANAGEMENT OF HANGMAN'S FRACTURE AND HIGHLIGHTS THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM'S ROLE IN THE CARE OF AFFECTED PATIENTS.