SUBAXIAL (C3 TO C7) FRACTURES-SLIC CLASSIFICATION

SUMMARY

1. The subaxial injury classification (SLIC) system includes injuries to the disco-ligamentous complex (DLC), neurologic & bony injuries.

2. This system demonstrates moderate reliability.

3. The DLC includes: ALL (the strongest component of the anterior DLC), PLL, ligamentum flavum, facet capsule (the strongest component of the posterior DLC), interspinous and supraspinous ligaments.

4. The DLC is the hardest SLIC parameter to evaluate. Largely inferred indirectly from MRI findings. Healing is less predictable than bone healing in the adult. More data needs to be accrued before this parameter can be reliably quantified.

Reference(s)

Greenberg, M., 1997. Handbook Of Neurosurgery. 7th ed. Lakeland, Fla.: Greenberg Graphics
Quiñones-HinojosaA. (2012). Schmidek and Sweet: Operative Neurosurgical Techniques: Indications, Methods and Results. 6th ed. Saunders.
Rhoton, A.L. and Congress Of Neurological Surgeons (2003). Rhoton cranial anatomy and surgical approaches. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.