Abstract
Injuries to the upper cervical spine represent a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge to the treating surgeon due to the complex anatomical relationships and biomechanical features. In this further education article the diagnostic principles, established classifications and therapeutic recommendations as well as injury-specific characteristics of bony and ligamentous injuries to the upper cervical spine (C0-C2) are presented.
Keywords:
Joint dislocations; Ligaments, articular; Occipital condyles; Spinal fractures; Spondylolisthesis.
MeSH terms
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Adult
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Aged
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Aged, 80 and over
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Algorithms
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Atlanto-Axial Joint / diagnostic imaging
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Atlanto-Axial Joint / injuries
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Atlanto-Axial Joint / surgery
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Atlanto-Occipital Joint / diagnostic imaging
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Atlanto-Occipital Joint / injuries
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Atlanto-Occipital Joint / surgery
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Cervical Atlas / diagnostic imaging
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Cervical Atlas / injuries
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Cervical Atlas / surgery
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Cervical Vertebrae / diagnostic imaging
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Cervical Vertebrae / injuries*
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Cervical Vertebrae / surgery*
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Follow-Up Studies
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Fracture Fixation / methods
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Fracture Fixation, Internal / methods
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Fracture Healing / physiology
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Humans
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Joint Dislocations / diagnosis*
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Joint Dislocations / diagnostic imaging
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Joint Dislocations / surgery*
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Ligaments, Articular / diagnostic imaging
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Ligaments, Articular / injuries*
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Ligaments, Articular / surgery*
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Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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Middle Aged
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Occipital Bone / diagnostic imaging
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Occipital Bone / injuries
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Occipital Bone / surgery
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Odontoid Process / diagnostic imaging
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Odontoid Process / injuries
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Odontoid Process / surgery
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Spinal Fractures / diagnosis*
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Spinal Fractures / diagnostic imaging
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Spinal Fractures / surgery*
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Spinal Fusion / methods
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Spondylolisthesis / diagnosis*
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Spondylolisthesis / diagnostic imaging
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Spondylolisthesis / surgery*
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Tomography, X-Ray Computed