Posterior Surgery in the Treatment of Craniovertebral Junction Deformity with Torticollis

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical effect of posterior surgery in the treatment of craniovertebral junction (CVJ) deformities with torticollis and methods for preventing and treating complications in order to obtain a reasonable treatment strategy. METHODS: From January 2007 to December 2017, 78 patients who suffered from CVJ deformities with torticollis treated by posterior surgery were analyzed. The surgical techniques were all posterior correction and fusion to restore the anatomical alignment of the craniovertebral junction. The visual analog score (VAS) and Short Form‐36 (SF‐36) health survey questionnaire were utilized to evaluate preoperative and postoperative neck pain, and changes in the torticollis angle and atlas‐dens interval (ADI) were evaluated through anteroposterior X‐ray and computed tomography. Intra‐ and postoperative complications were all recorded. One‐way ANOVA, LSD‐t test, and χ(2) test were performed to evaluate the difference between the preoperative and postoperative data. RESULTS: The mean follow‐up time was 37.4 ± 15.7 months, the average operation time was 115.6 ± 12.8 min, and the average blood loss was 170.8 ± 26.3 mL. According to the deformity site, the range of posterior correction and fusion was as follows: 38 cases of C(1)–C(2), 33 cases of C(0)–C(2), and seven cases of C(0)–C(3). The preoperative SF‐36, VAS, torticollis angle, and ADI were 42.6 ± 8.8, 4.8 ± 1.1, 37.2 ± 11.2°, and 4.9 ± 2.3 mm, respectively. The difference was significant at 3 months post operation (p < 0.05), and there was no significant difference at the final follow‐up compared with 3 months post operation (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: It can objectively achieve favorable correction and satisfactory clinical effects under posterior correction and fixation for CVJ deformities with torticollis. Intra‐ and postoperative complications can be settled by proper management.