Subaxial injury classification scoring system treatment recommendations: external agreement study based on retrospective review of 185 patients

Retrospective case series. To test validity of subaxial injury classification (SLIC) treatment recommendations. Although SLIC has been tested for reliability, external studies that test the validity of its treatment recommendations are lacking. The SLIC score was determined by reviewing imaging studies and clinical records in a consecutive series of 185 patients with subaxial cervical spine trauma presenting to a level 1 spinal injury referral center. Details including attending surgeon responsible for treatment decision, treatment received, and surgical approach were collected. Treatment received matched SLIC guidelines in 93.6% nonsurgically managed patients and 96.3% surgically managed patients. The mean SLIC score of the surgically treated group of patients was significantly higher than that of the nonsurgical group (7.14 vs. 2.22; P