It is often reported that the number of cases of cervical spinal cord injury without fracture resulting from falls have increased in recent years with a aging population.　　We reviewed the cases of cervical spinal cord injury in the patients who were admitted within two days after the injury to our department between January 2006 and December 2012, The subjects of this study numbered 167 cases;129 males and 38 females. The frequency of occurrence of cervical spinal cord injury, according to reports by the fire departments in the southwestern part of Ibaraki Prefecture is 32.0 per million individuals per year. In our cases under review, fractures were noted in 72 individuals, whereas 95 had no fractures. As to the causes of injury, traffic accidents topped the list with 38.9%, followed by falls with 28.7%, stumbles with 20.4%, and other factors with 12.0%. Cervical spinal cord injury account for 75% of all the cases of spinal cord injury with an incident of 30-40 cases per 100 million individuals per year. In 2011, the incidence of cervical spinal cord injuries resulting from traffic accidents decreased, while that of injuries related to falls increased. Six cases of injury resulting from falls happened during repairs on the damaged houses in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2013.

The injury mechanism of traumatic cervical spine injury varies, and Allen et al. divide cervical spine injuries into 6 types based on the direction of external force at the time of injury. In this report, we present 2 cases as Lateral Flexion Stage 2. A 51-year-old male (Case 1) was injured in a traffic accident. His conscious level was JCS III-200, and he was found to have a Frankel Grade of B. X-ray revealed a C5/6 fracture dislocation injury of Lateral Flexion Stage 2. We were unable to obtain good reduction. We planned to perform posterior fusion using a cervical spine pedicle screw but could not perform the procedure due to the patient’s poor general condition. A 32-year-old male (Case 2) was injured as a result of being hit by a steel sheet. He had Frankel Grade D paralysis. X-ray revealed a C5/6 fracture dislocation injury of Lateral Flexion Stage 2. We did not perform manual reduction. We performed posterior fixation, anterior decompression and anterior fixation. Bone union was confirmed, and the patient was able to return to work. In cases of this type of fracture dislocation of the cervical spine, the supporting structures of the spinal column circumferentially rupture and induce high instability. Since closed reduction is sometimes difficult and involves risk, strong internal fixation might be recommended.

Background: Necrotizing fasciitis is a rare but severe condition associated with high mortality. We encountered a patient with severe and rapidly progressing necrotizing fasciitis. Patient: A 40-year-old male was hit by a tractor and received a wide laceration wound spanning the length of his posterior thigh. Soon after the accident, the wound was washed and debridement was performed. Two days postoperatively, we observed septic changes in the wound and diagnosed this condition as necrotizing fasciitis. Consequently, the patient's leg was amputated at the thigh. The patient, however, developed toxic shock syndrome after the amputation. Endotoxin adsorption using a polymyxin B-immobilized fiber column was performed for 2 days. Finally, a hip joint amputation was performed after 11 days, following which the patient's general condition gradually improved. Discussion: Treatment for necrotizing fasciitis should be initiated promptly. Early debridement is associated with a significant decrease in mortality. In severe conditions, endotoxin and cytokine removal by blood purification is one of the most effective treatments. Although group A streptococci are widely known as "flesh-eating bacteria," we should also consider a wide variety of pathogenic organisms to be the probable cause of severe necrotizing fasciitis. Conclusion: Management of necrotizing fasciitis requires careful investigation as well as an aggressive therapeutic approach, which may include urgent surgical intervention. In addition to surgery, endotoxin adsorption therapy should be considered.
Patients ; Fasciitis ; Endotoxins ; Therapeutic procedure ; Amputation