Traumatic Unilateral L3-4 Jumped Facet Treated with Open Reduction and Short Segment Fusion.

BACKGROUND

Facet dislocations, or jumped facets, are part of a spectrum of flexion-distraction spine injuries. Bilateral and unilateral facet dislocations are commonly seen in the cervical spine. Traumatic jumped facets in the lumbar spine are rare injuries, and most involve the lumbosacral junction. Lumbar facet subluxations occur commonly in young patients owing to flexion-distraction forces on the lumbar spine at the time of injury combined with ligamentous laxity that exists in young patients.

CASE DESCRIPTION: A 24-year-old man presented with a unilateral right facet dislocation at L3-4 with anterolisthesis and canal stenosis after a motor vehicle accident.

CONCLUSIONS

Following anatomic reduction, unilateral jumped facets can be effectively treated with instrumented stabilization. This report provides evidence for the durability of short segment arthrodesis in select cases of a rare lumbar facet subluxation.