• Ahmad Tarawneh, Syed Taqvi, Khalid Salem, and Opinder Sahota.
• Centre for Spinal Studies and Surgery, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK.
• Age Ageing. 2020 Oct 23; 49 (6): 1102-1104.

Backgroundcervical spine fractures are particularly prevalent in older people and commonly occur following a fall from standing height or less. Atlanto-axial complex (AAC) and, particularly, odontoid process (OP) fractures are the most prevalent injuries.Objectiveto investigate the incidence and characteristics of cervical spine fractures in older patients presenting to a regional spine centre.Methodsa retrospective review of the clinical records and imaging of all patients aged 70 years and over presenting to a regional spinal unit with a cervical injury over a 5-year period was performed. Patient demographics, mechanism of injury, level of fracture, stability of the fracture, treatment modality, imaging modality and mortality rates were collected and analysed.Resultsduring the period between 2015 and 2019, a total of 209 patients aged 70 years and over were presented to the regional spine unit. The mean age at presentation was 82.4 (±7.5) years. Low-energy trauma was the commonest mechanism of injury (n = 169; 80.9%). MRI was undertaken in a quarter of the patients. One-hundred and fifty-one patients (72.2%) suffered an AAC Injury with OP fractures forming the majority of this group (n = 119; 78.8%). One-hundred and ninety-nine patients were treated conservatively, and the overall 30-day mortality rate was 8.1%.Conclusioncervical spine fractures are not uncommon amongst older people and are mostly the result of low-energy trauma and predominantly affect the axial cervical spine. The majority of these injuries are managed conservatively with an orthosis. The fractures nevertheless are a serious injury, with a high mortality rate at 30 days.© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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