Occipital Screw Placement Using a Navigation System for a Pathological Odontoid Fracture With a Dural Venous Sinus Variation

Conventional fluoroscopic guidance can provide enough information to precisely insert an occipital screw in ordinary cases. However, the occipital screw creates a potential risk of dural venous sinus injury or thrombosis. In some cases, with dural sinus variation, surgeons must especially be cautious to avoid its injury. We present a rare case of proper occipital screw placement using a navigation system for a pathological odontoid fracture with a high risk of dural venous sinus injury because of anatomical variations in the transverse and occipital sinuses. A 60-year-old man who underwent thyroidectomy at the age of 37 years for thyroid carcinoma developed acute neck pain and quadriparesis due to falling out of bed. He urgently underwent closed reduction and temporary immobilization with a halo-vest for a pathological odontoid fracture and atlantoaxial dislocation. Preoperative contrast-enhanced CT showed an absent right transverse sinus and a prominent occipital sinus as variations of the dural venous sinuses. Occipito-C7 fusion surgery was performed without intraoperative active venous bleeding or postoperative brain disorder by using a navigation system for the occipital screw placement to avoid injury to the dural sinus. Postoperative computed tomography showed bi-cortical occipital screw placement avoiding the prominent occipital sinus. The patient’s postoperative course was uneventful. In this case, although rigid occipito-cervical fixation using bi-cortical occipital screws was needed for the pathological odontoid fracture, the variation of the occipital sinus created a high risk of injury during occipital screw placement with conventional fluoroscopic guidance. There is an anatomical variation of the dural venous sinuses between individuals. Prominent occipital sinus injury may notably cause fatal complications such as massive bleeding or occlusion. Thus, we safely inserted the occipital screws using a navigation system that enabled us to avoid occipital venous sinus injury. Occipital screw placement with a navigation system can be a better option to prevent dural venous sinus injury in cases where there is variation in the dural venous sinuses, such as with a prominent occipital venous sinus.