Os odontoideum is a separate odontoid process from the body of the axis. It is the most common anomaly of the odontoid process. Patients with this condition can be asymptomatic or present with a wide range of neurological dysfunctions. It may cause cervical instability, atlantoaxial dislocation and myelopathy. This anomaly can mimic Type I and II odontoid fractures. There is a role for conserva...

Osteoid osteoma is a small tumor of bone which affect spine in 10% of cases. The tumor has tendency to neural arc and the lumbar spine is most common site of presentation. Lesions of odontoid process are very rare. We present a 20-year-old man who had cervical pain for 8 month. The pain respond to medical therapy. After investigation there was a lytic lesion at the odontoid process with charact...

Introduction During the embryological development the axis is formed from the proatlas, the C1 sclerotome and the C2 sclerotome. Failure of the odontoid process (C1 sclerotome) to fuse with the body of the axis (C2 sclerotome), or failure of the apex of the odontoid process (proatlas) to fuse with the main portion of the odontoid process has been advocated. The etiology of os odontoideum remain...

The endoscopic endonasal approach is emerging as a feasible alternative to the transoral route for the resection of the odontoid process, when the latter produces a compression of the brainstem and cervicomedullary junction. This type of approach has some advantages, such as excellent prevertebral exposure of the craniovertebral junction in patients with small oral cavities and the possibility ...

Anderson type II odontoid fractures are reported to be the most common injury of the odontoid process in patients over the age of 65. However, atraumatic occult Anderson type III odontoid fractures have been rarely described and remain a diagnostic challenge. In the present report, we illustrate a 78-year-old female with osteoporosis-associated marked thoracic kyphotic deformity who developed a...

The endoscopic endonasal approach is emerging as a feasible alternative to the trans-oral route for the resection of the odontoid process, when the latter produces a compression of the brainstem and cervicomedullary junction. This type of approach has some advantages, such as excellent pre-vertebral exposure of the cranio-vertebral junction in patients with small oral cavities and the possibili...

The importance of the present article lies in the fact that it deals with an infrequent complication in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, because most of the fractures that occur on the odontoid process are non-traumatic in origin. Dislocations of the atlantoaxial joint have an incidence that goes from 19% to 70%, according to the studies consulted. Normally, the space between the odontoid pr...

A 6-week-old female Simmental calf was evaluated for acute non-ambulatory tetraparesis. Physical and laboratory examinations revealed no clinically relevant abnormalities. Neurological findings were consistent with acute, progressive and painful cervical myelopathy. Radiographs displayed a fractured odontoid process (dens axis) and vertebral step misalignment at the fracture site. A traumatic o...

The 'classical' or 'Hangman' neck fracture involves the odontoid peg (process) of the second cervical vertebra (C2), and is described as an axial, dens or odontoid peg fracture in both the veterinary and human literature. Possible surgical treatment in both foals and adult horses requires a technique that allows decompression, anatomical alignment and stabilisation of the odontoid fracture. A l...