OCCIPITAL CONDYLE FRACTURES - CLINICAL PRESENTATION AND RADIOLOGIC DETECTION

PURPOSE: To describe the CT findings in occipital condyle fractures in patients suffering craniocervical trauma. METHODS: Six occipital cond yle fractures in five patients were analyzed. Because of clinical or p lain-film findings, the craniocervical junction in each patient was im aged using thin-section, high-resolution CT. Axial data were reformatt ed in the coronal plane or in both coronal and sagittal planes. Clinic al and radiologic findings associated with occipital condyle fractures reported in the English medical literature were correlated with our c ases to determine conclusive predictive features indicating condylar i njury. RESULTS: Two avulsion (type III) fractures in two patients, two compression (type I) fractures in one patient, and two compression fr actures in two patients were diagnosed by CT. Specific predictive feat ures indicating occipital condyle fracture could not be confirmed. CON CLUSIONS: CT greatly facilitates diagnosing and typing of occipital co ndyle fractures. Nonspecific parameters prompting CT after trauma are unexplained persistent upper-neck pain with normal plain-film findings , lower cranial nerve palsies, spasmodic torticollis, retropharyngeal or prevertebral soft-tissue swelling, and fractures of the atlas or ax is.