Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33850376›Full record

ArticleJournal of craniovertebral junction & spine

Temporary spanning internal fixation for management of complex upper cervical spine fractures.

Khalid AlSaleh, Muteb Abulras, Osama Alrehaili

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of craniovertebral junction & spine. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 39% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Implantation choices, fusion preferences and implant removal after fixation in C1-C2 fractures: An AO Spine Knowledge Forum expert survey.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026
    Article
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  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Khalid AlSalehDepartment of Orthopedics College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Muteb AbulrasDepartment of Orthopedics College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Osama AlrehailiDepartment of Orthopedics College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
King Saud University · SA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionFractures of the upper cervical spine are often but not always amenable to either internal fixation or conservative management using a rigid cervical collar. For all other fractures in this area, management with a halo-vest orthosis is indicated, but it also has limitations. Here, we present an operative alternative to the halo-vest orthosis that provides more secure stability and less complications.

methodsThree patients presented to our hospital with atypical fractures of C1 and C2 and were given the choice of either a halo-vest orthosis or secure internal fixation without fusion and accepted the latter. Internal fixation without fusion from occiput to the subaxial spine was performed for all three and then removed-6 months later -after radiologic confirmation of healing.

resultsAll three patients underwent the procedure successfully and achieved and maintained acceptable alignment. Range of motion was preserved, and no intermediate-term issues were observed.

conclusionSpanning internal fixation provides a safe and effective technique in the management of complex upper cervical spine injuries without the drawbacks of using a halo-vest orthosis.

Indexed as

Cervical spineinternal fixationspine fractures

Identifiers

PMID33850376
PMCPMC8035578
OpenAlexW3135100741

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-SA
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.