Data was collected retrospectively on 72 patients with lower cervical spine injury treated in our Institues. Fifty two patients were treated surgically and twenty treated nonsurgically. At final follow-up no significant difference in neurological recovery was noted between patients treated surgically and those treated nonsurgically. We concluded that the timing of the operation was not effective and that the type of spinal cord injury was the most important prognoshe factor in tems of neurological recovery.
