UNUSUAL OCCIPITOATLANTAL FRACTURE DISSOCIATION WITH NO NEUROLOGICAL IMPAIRMENT - CASE-REPORT

The authors describe an unusual case of a complex traumatic fracture-d issociation injury of the craniovertebral junction, which the patient survived with no neurological damage. This case featured the rare comb ination of an avulsion of both the right occipital condyle and clivus and a fracture of the left lateral mass of the atlas. Because of the c raniocervical ligament injury and the slight anterior occipitoatlantal dislocation, the lesion was considered to be unstable and was treated successfully with a cervical collar. The authors emphasize that thin- slice computerized tomography scanning with multiplanar reconstruction s is essential to visualize these fractures, whereas magnetic resonanc e imaging is useful to assess soft tissues.