Jefferson fractures

Abstract

"Jefferson fractures are rare and classically describe the 4 part fracture of the atlas. They make up approximately 7% of cervical spine fractures, but are closely associated with C2 fractures (almost 50%). As the risk of neurological injury is low,(around 4-17%), these fractures are commonly missed in emergency rooms.Although originally decribed by Sir Goeffrey Jefferson in London in 1924, the term has become an eponym for all fractures of the Atlas. He proposed that due to the wedge shape of the lateral masses, a compressive loading stress was converted into a decompressive force leading to the fracture in question."