Hangmans fracture is the colloquial name given to a fracture of both pedicles, or partes interarticulares, of the axis vertebra (C2). Causes
The injury mainly occurs from falls, usually in elderly adults, and motor accidents mainly due to impacts of high force causing extension of the neck and great axial load onto the C2 vertebra. In a study based in Norway, 60% of reported cervical fractures came from falls and 21% from motor-related accidents. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the group under the highest risk of C2 fractures are elderly people within the age group of 65-84 (39.02%) at risks of falls (61%) or motor accidents (21%) in metropolitan areas (94%). There were 203 discharges from the age group 1-17; 1,843 from 18- to 44-year-olds; 2,147 from 45- to 64-year-olds, 4,890 from 65- to 84-year-olds, and 3440 from 85+-year-olds. Females accounted for 54.45% of occurrences while males accounted for the other 45.38%. Mechanisms
The mechanism of the injury is forcible hyperextension of the head, usually with distraction of the neck. Traditionally this would occur during judicial hanging, when the noose was placed below the condemned subjects chin. When the subject was dropped, the head would be forced into hyperextension by the full weight of the body, a sufficient force to cause the fracture.
Dicheirus is a genus of beetles in the family Carabidae, containing the following species:
Dicheirus dilatatus Dejean, 1829
Dicheirus obtusus LeConte, 1852
Dicheirus piceus Menetries, 1845
Dicheirus pilosus G. Horn, 1880
Dicheirus strenuus G. Horn, 1868


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