Variation in Surgical Opinion Regarding Management of Selected Cervical Spine Injuries

The opinions of orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons were compared regarding appropriate management of selected cervical injuries and the timing of stabilization in order to determine whether there is consistency of opinion regarding the management of cervical trauma. The study found that there is a large variety of opinion regarding appropriateness of specific operative and nonoperative management procedures and surgical timing among the surgeons polled who manage cervical trauma. This implies that there is no widely accepted standard of management procedure for many of these injuries.