![]() According to experimental data the causes of the fractures of the odontoid process are a combination of vertical compression and horizontal shear which acting in a different angle create different patterns of fracture. The fracture of the odontoid is due often to high-energy trauma with the implication of a combination of forces and the major loading path that cause the lesion is not well established. However, the exact prevalence is not known as a certain number of patients who sustained such an injury did not survive and were transported dead to the hospital. The cause of injury is mainly a road traffic accident or a fall, but, other causes are, also, implicated to these injuries. The incidence of these fractures is around 14% (1) among the cervical spine fractures and may occur at any age, with a higher risk for patients older than 65years old but, to note that in this age group the fracture of the odontoid is more likely to be missed at the initial examination. ![]() The second one, their evolution and their final outcome The first was the multiple pattern of fractures which this element was subjected to. When in 1975, nearly 40 years ago, I started studying the injuries of the Cervical Spine, I was impressed by two events which attracted my attention both, were related to the odontoid process, this peculiar anatomical element which characterize the Axis vertebra. National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |