Transosseous lacerations in the ankylosed cervical spine

Transosseous lacerations represent a particular type of discoligamentous injury of the cervical spine and occur in ankylosing diseases of the spine, with ankylosing spondylitis and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) being the primary entities. The altered biomechanics of the spine due to the underlying disease pose special challenges in the diagnostics and treatment. Even low-energy trauma can cause severe injuries of the cervical spine, which are often difficult to accurately diagnose due to the difficult assessability of the conventional projection radiography used in the primary diagnostics. In addition to a correct diagnosis a differentiated treatment concept is crucial as treatment courses can be complicated by pre-existing comorbidities, which are present in the majority of cases. Due to a high rate of secondary neurological deficits without adequate stabilization, surgical stabilization is generally recommended. Unlike the treatment of "classical" discoligamentous injuries in the mobile cervical spine, long segment dorsal instrumented spondylodesis is the standard of care for these cases, whereby ventral stabilization is also of value, either as a stand-alone or possibly additive procedure. The intraoperative site, which deviates from that of a normal patient, can present an additional challenge.