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Traumatic invagination of the fourth and fifth cervical laminae with acute hemiparesis

¹ University of Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown 2193, Johannesburg, South Africa.
² PO Box 672, Highlands North 2037, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Correspondence should be sent to Dr U. R. Hähnle at PO Box 29779, Melville 2109, Johannesburg, South Africa.

We describe a patient with traumatic right-sided invagination of two consecutive laminae into the spinal canal. The injury resembled a greenstick fracture and resulted in an acute Brown-Séquard syndrome. There was also an undisplaced hangman’s fracture of the axis vertebra. These injuries were caused by an acute hyperextension and axial compression of the cervical spine. Open reduction and internal fixation of the laminar fractures without fusion was followed by full neurological recovery within six weeks.