BACKGROUND Severe cervical spine injury in rugby union (rugby) exerts a major impact on the individual who sustains the injury and on the broader society. Since the late 1970s, authors of rugby case report studies have postulated that the underlying mechanism of cervical spine injury is hyperflexion of the neck. However, this is in conflict with findings from more recent experimental studies. T...

Cervical myelopathy has become commonly recognized as a complication of rheumatoid atlantoaxial subluxation. A small group of patients with atlantoaxial subluxation may have intermittent symptoms associated with change of head position and which are due to vertebral artery compression. Two such cases are reported, one with necropsy findings of infarction in the area supplied by the vertebrobasi...

RECOMMENDATIONS Standards: A three view cervical spine series (AP, lateral, and odontoid views) is recommended for radiographic evaluation of the cervical spine in patients who are symptomatic following traumatic injury. This should be supplemented with computed tomography to further define areas that are suspicious or not well visualized on the plain cervical x-rays. Guidelines: There is insuf...

RATIONALE Fracture of the clavicle is a very common injury in children. However, association between clavicle fracture and atlantoaxial rotatory displacement is rarely observed. PATIENT CONCERNS We present a case of an 8-year-old girl, who suffered a right clavicle fracture as a result of a sledge accident. Six weeks after figure of 8 casting for a right clavicle fracture, an 8-year-old girl ...

Metastasis to the odontoid peg is a rare condition. We report a case where such a metastasis from an oesophageal adenocarcinoma caused problems in both diagnosis and management. This is the first case to our knowledge to originate from a primary oesophageal adenocarcinoma. CASE REPORT. A 58 year old male was admitted with dysphagia and weight loss. Investigations revealed a lower oesophageal ad...

BACKGROUND Upper cervical spine instability is one of the most critical orthopedic problems in patients with Down syndrome. However, arthrodesis of the upper cervical spine in these patients can be very difficult to achieve and has a high complication rate because of mental retardation and accompanying various medical conditions of the vital organs. Even now, surgeries in such patients, especia...

The cervical spine allows humans to perform complex motions including lateral bending, twisting, and flexion/extension. The anatomical structures of the cervical spine, such as the cervical discs, facet joints, and ligaments, are constantly under stress due to everyday activities. Sustained stress over time causes injury and degeneration in the structures of the cervical spine and the developme...