DENS FRACTURES IN THE ELDERLY - RESULTS OF ANTERIOR SCREW FIXATION IN19 ELDERLY PATIENTS

Type 2 dens fractures in the elderly may be regarded as fragility frac tures due to osteoporosis and are prone to nonunion with closed treatm ent. We investigated the outcome of direct anterior screw fixation of these fractures in 19 patients over 65 years of age. The type of injur y, radiological appearance over time and the clinical outcome were ana lyzed, with an average follow-up of 4.5 years. Surgery and postoperati ve treatment were tolerated well in all patients. in 16 cases, bony un ion was achieved after 3-6 months. 2 pseudarthroses, which required no treatment, occurred. At follow-up, 15 patients had no symptoms. 10 of the patients had diminished rotation. We conclude that anterior screw fixation is a successful therapy in most cases of type 2 dens fractur es in the elderly.