Comprehensive diagnostics, accepted classifications, and selection of pathogenetic methods of treatment (including surgery) for axis injuries, odontoid process fractures, axis traumatic spondylolisthesis and hangman’s fractures are discussed in the paper. The presented data prove the necessity and possibility of early exhaustive diagnosing to differentiate the type of a craniocervical disorder and to provide a timely choice of pathogenetic treatment technique, especially of a surgical one.

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During recent decades the spine specialists’ views on mechanism and nature of various injuries of the subaxial cervical spine have changed and become fuller. This predetermined the choice of pathogenetical therapy for each type of injury. In this respect the concept of treatment regimen for cervical spine injuries is presented from long-term experience of Trauma Clinics of Novosibirsk RITO and newer literature data. The problems of clinical semeiology, radiodiagnosis, lower cervical spine injury classifications are discussed. Issues of conservative and surgical treatment choice, medical rehabilitation of all types of subaxial cervical spine injuries in accordance with modern classification are considered in detail.

Between 1990 and 2001, 1540 patients with various fractures and fracture-dislocations of thoracolumbar vertebrae (type А, В, C) were operated on at the Regional Center for Spine Pathology of Novosibirsk RITO. Basing on that experience the indications and pathogenetic surgical techniques were defined for every clinical form of spine injury. Depending on the type of spine fracture and its stability the individual choice of technique for dorsal fixation, ventral spinal fusion or their combination provided the complete restoration of spine anatomy and stiff stabilization of the injured vertebral segments. Such differentiation in the treatment of various types of spine injuries permits to reduce the terms and stages of treatment thus predetermining favorable short-term and long-term outcomes.