Fracture and dislocation of the fourth and fifth cervical vertebral bodies with transection of the spinal cord

Fracture and double dislocation of C4 and C5 with complete retropulsion of the C5 vertebral body into the spinal canal and complete transection of the spinal cord occurred in a diving accident in an 18-year-old male. The C4 vertebral body was dislocated anteriorly on C5, and the C5 vertebral body was dislocated posteriorly on C6 by extreme flexion and axial loading forces. To the authors' knowledge, fracture-dislocation of the cervical spine with retropulsion of this magnitude and patient survival seems not to have been reported in the literature.