Pediatric bony craniovertebral junction abnormalities: Institutional experience of 10 years

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical features and treatment outcome of pediatric patients with bony craniovertebral abnormalities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors studied 189 consecutive cases of pediatric bony craniovertebral junction abnormalities operated between 2001 and March, 2010. RESULTS: The pathologies were developmental (n = 162), traumatic (n = 18) and tuberculous (n = 9). Surgical procedures included transoral decompression (n = 118), occipitocervical fusion (OCF, n = 139), C 1 -C 2 fusion (n = 45), and posterior fossa decompression (n = 5). Methods for OCF included contoured stainless steel rods (n = 86), titanium lateral mass screws and plates (n = 47) and steel wires (n = 6). Constructs of all patients of posterior fixation with contoured rods and wires or lateral mass screw and rod who could be followed up were either stable/fused or were fused and stable. No implant failure was noticed among these two surgical procedures. However, 6 patients with C 1-C 2 fusion had broken wires on follow-up requiring repeat posterior fixation. Good neurological outcome was observed even in poor-grade patients. No significant effect on the curvature or growth of the spine was observed at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric craniovertebral junction anomalies can be managed successfully with good outcomes using a low cost contoured rod and wires.