A Case of Delayed Myelopathy Caused by Atlantoaxial Subluxation without Fracture

We report a case of delayed myelopathy caused by atlantoaxial subluxation without fracture. The patient was a 38-year-old male who became aware of weakness in extremities. The patient had a history of hitting his head severely while diving into a swimming pool at the age of 14 years old. At that tim...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Takamatsu, Ryo, Takahashi, Hiroshi, Yokoyama, Yuichiro, Terajima, Fumiaki, Inoue, Yasuhiro, Fukutake, Katsunori, Wada, Akihito
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Hindawi Publishing Corporation 2013
Materias:
Case Report
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3628490/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23607019
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/421087
Descripción
Sumario:We report a case of delayed myelopathy caused by atlantoaxial subluxation without fracture. The patient was a 38-year-old male who became aware of weakness in extremities. The patient had a history of hitting his head severely while diving into a swimming pool at the age of 14 years old. At that time, cervical spine plain X-ray images showed no fracture, and the cervical pain disappeared after use of a collar for several weeks. At his first visit to our department, X-ray images showed an unstable atlantoaxial joint. After surgery, weakness of the extremities gradually improved. At 6 months after surgery, bone union was completed and the symptoms disappeared. This case shows that atlantoaxial ligament injuries are difficult to diagnose and may easily be missed. A high level of suspicion is important in such cases, since neurological compromise or deterioration may occur many years after the injury.

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