Comprehensive algorithmic approach to subaxial cervical spine stability and triage.
Cervical Stability Probe
Input the fracture morphology, ligamentous status, and neurological findings to determine the SLIC stability score.
Guidelines & Evidence
Clinical Details
Section 1
When to Use
When to Use
Determining whether a fractured cervical spine (C3 to C7) requires operative stabilization or just a hard cervical collar.
Standardized communication tool during trauma handover.
Section 2
Literature
Development
Introduced by Vaccaro and the Spine Trauma Study Group (2007) because previous classification systems (like Denis or Allen-Ferguson) were overly complicated and failed to explicitly direct surgical decision making. SLIC boiled trauma down to the three things that actually matter: What is the bone doing? What are the ligaments doing? What is the spinal cord doing?
Section 3
Pearls/Pitfalls
Incomplete vs Complete
It seems counter-intuitive, but an INCOMPLETE spinal cord injury (3 points) scores higher toward surgery than a COMPLETE spinal cord injury (ASIA A, 2 points). This is because an incomplete cord has surviving axons that can be salvaged by immediate decompression, whereas a complete cord transection is sadly irreversible, lowering the absolute urgency of the surgery.
Section 4
Evidence Appraisal
Primary Reference
The subaxial cervical spine injury classification system: a novel approach to recognize the importance of morphology, neurology, and integrity of the disco-ligamentous complex
Vaccaro AR et al. • Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2007;32(21):2365-74
