Epidemiology of Cervical Spine Injuries Requiring Surgical Treatment in Plovdiv and Plovdiv Region, Bulgaria.

OBJECTIVE: Cervical spine injuries (CSI) are associated with high rates of permanent disability and mortality, which increase the socioeconomic burden on healthcare systems worldwide. We aimed to investigate the epidemiology of CSI, frequency of operative treatment, and incidence of associated neurological deficits at regional level.

METHODS: We performed a retrospective monocentric study of patients with sustained CSI from January 2017 to December 2021, carried out only in a first-level trauma center in the Plovdiv metro region. Demographic, clinical, and imaging data from the medical records were thoroughly analyzed. Based on the assumption that all patients with CSI were hospitalized in single trauma center, the percentage of cases indicated for surgical treatment was calculated based on the population of the entire Plovdiv metro area.

RESULTS: One hundred forty-nine patients permanently residing in the Plovdiv metro region were included in this study. Of the 149 patients, 97 (65.1%) were surgically treated and 61 (62.9%) were over 60 years of age. The frequency of operative interventions for CSI was 2.9/100,000 patients. Annually, 10.6 people from the Plovdiv metro region suffer from neurological deficits as a result of neck injuries (1.6/100,000 residents). The number of patients with complete spinal cord injury in the surgically treated group was 11 (11.3%); that is, the regional frequency was 2.2 people per year.

CONCLUSION: In the Plovdiv metro region, a significant annual frequency of neurological deficits requiring surgical intervention for CSI has been established, especially in patients aged >60 years.