Comparison of Glisson traction, soft or rigid cervical collars for the treatment of acute atlantoaxial rotatory subluxation in children: a retrospective study

Abstract

To examine the clinical effect of different conservative therapies (Glisson traction, soft and rigid cervical collar) in the treatment of children with acute atlantoaxial rotatory subluxation. One hundred and forty-four children with acute atlantoaxial rotatory subluxation treated conservatively at our hospital from June 2017 to June 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The children were divided into three groups consisting of patients treated with Glisson traction ( n = 37), patients treated with soft cervical collar ( n = 55), and patients treated with rigid cervical collar ( n = 52). Clinical and functional results were compared among the three groups. Success outcomes were achieved at the end of treatment in the Glisson traction group (94.59%, 35/37), soft cervical collar group (83.64%, 46/55), and rigid cervical collar group (92.31%, 48/52). There was no significant difference between the success rates among the three groups ( P > 0.05). At the last follow-up, the overall scores based on our scoring scale for the Glisson traction, soft cervical collar and rigid cervical collar groups were 95.95 ± 6.11 (range: 75–100), 94.64 ± 6.30 (range: 75–100) and 95.00 ± 6.02 (range: 70–100), respectively. There was no significant difference in the overall scores among the three groups ( P > 0.05). All three conservative therapies for the treatment of acute atlantoaxial rotatory subluxation can attain a good clinical outcome. Treatment using a cervical collar should be given priority as it does not require the child to be hospitalized. Rigid cervical collar provides good immobilization and can possibly lead to better clinical outcomes compared to a soft cervical collar.