Halo-vest immobilization for odontoid fractures

Purpose: Odontoid fractures can heal with conservative treatments such as Halo vest immobilization (HVI) without surgery. We conducted this study to investigate the clinical outcome, effectiveness, and associated complications of HVI. Materials and Methods: Between 2012 and 2019, a total of 36 patients with upper cervical spine fractures were admitted to our department and treated with HVI. Sixteen of them, comprising 16,3%, had a fracture of the odontoid process. The cause of trauma was an accident with a motor vehicle. The odontoid fracture was recognized and treated immediately in all patients but who had multiple injuries. Results: The healing rate for odontoid fracture using HVI after 12 weeks was 60.9%. In most cases (93,7%), bony healing occurred within 16 weeks. Among the complications of the hardware method of treatment, inflammation of soft tissues in the area of cortical screws, difficulty swallowing, pain and numbness in the hands, perforation of the skull bones with the formation of an epidural hematoma was not observed. Conclusion: The HVI, when properly used, is well tolerated by most patients and saves them from bed confinement and unnecessary surgery. In our experience, the HVI assures a high percentage of healing in this capricious fracture