Spinal column injuries are very commonly diagnosed in the multitrauma population, and extensive distraction injuries are often fatal due to cerebrovascular injuries or spinal cord injuries. We present a 62-year-old female who presented after an MVC with a 2-cm vertical distraction injury of C5-6 with a right vertebral artery transection and left vertebral artery dissection. She received multidisciplinary treatment which resulted in her survival, albeit with severe neurologic deficits. We challenge the current literature that suggests a blunt vertebral artery transection is 100% fatal.
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WuY-S.TianN-F.SunL-J.PanZ-J.LinY. Vertical distraction injury of the C4-C5 cervical spine. Spine J. 2014;14(4):718.doi:10.1016/j.spinee.2013.10.040http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24231774
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