• Evan Rhea and Gazanfar Rahmathulla.
• Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Florida College of Medicine, Jacksonville, Florida, USA.
• World Neurosurg. 2018 Nov 1; 119: 103-107.

BackgroundFacet dislocations, or jumped facets, are part of a spectrum of flexion-distraction spine injuries. Bilateral and unilateral facet dislocations are commonly seen in the cervical spine. Traumatic jumped facets in the lumbar spine are rare injuries, and most involve the lumbosacral junction. Lumbar facet subluxations occur commonly in young patients owing to flexion-distraction forces on the lumbar spine at the time of injury combined with ligamentous laxity that exists in young patients.Case DescriptionA 24-year-old man presented with a unilateral right facet dislocation at L3-4 with anterolisthesis and canal stenosis after a motor vehicle accident.ConclusionsFollowing anatomic reduction, unilateral jumped facets can be effectively treated with instrumented stabilization. This report provides evidence for the durability of short segment arthrodesis in select cases of a rare lumbar facet subluxation.Published by Elsevier Inc.

21 keywords...

hide…