PMID- 29403243
OWN - NLM
STAT- PubMed-not-MEDLINE
LR  - 20220311
IS  - 0974-8237 (Print)
IS  - 0976-9285 (Electronic)
IS  - 0974-8237 (Linking)
VI  - 8
IP  - 4
DP  - 2017 Oct-Dec
TI  - Outcome of conservatively treated occipital condylar fractures - A retrospective 
      study.
PG  - 322-327
LID - 10.4103/jcvjs.JCVJS_97_17 [doi]
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Occipital condyle fracture (OCF) is rare. It may, however, pose a 
      serious threat to the patient due to destabilization of the craniocervical 
      junction. Correct diagnosis and effective treatment are essential to prevent 
      long-term complications. The aim of this study was to retrospectively investigate 
      our current treatment program with focus on the functional outcome. Diagnosis and 
      classification systems were evaluated for their usefulness in the clinical 
      practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all patients treated 
      conservatively for an occipital condylar fracture from 2010 to 2015 at our 
      department. Fracture classifications were performed according to three 
      established systems. The patients were followed up with clinical examination and 
      plain radiographs at weeks 2, 6, and 12 with the addition of a dynamic 
      flexion-extension X-ray at week 14. RESULTS: Totally 24 patients met the 
      inclusion criteria. One was lost to follow-up and two ended treatment before 
      completing the full treatment program due to a clinical decision. Fracture 
      displacement was neither detected nor was any neurological deficits observed. 
      Most patients were pain free after 6 weeks. After 14 weeks' treatment, two 
      patients still had neck pain; the rest were pain free. CONCLUSIONS: Our data 
      suggest that twelve weeks' conservative treatment is not necessary for unilateral 
      OCFs without atlanto-occipital dissociation (AOD). We recommend 6 weeks of 
      conservative treatment, with clinical control and flexion-extension radiographs 
      before ending treatment. Plain radiography is of limited value in the clinical 
      control of this fracture type. Anderson and Montesano and Tuli et al. 
      classification systems fulfill an academic role. We found the classification 
      system by Mueller et al. to be more helpful in everyday clinical practice.
FAU - Bystrom, Olof
AU  - Bystrom O
AD  - Department of Neurosurgery, Odense University Hospital and University of Southern 
      Denmark, Denmark.
FAU - Jensen, Torben S
AU  - Jensen TS
AD  - Department of Neurosurgery, Odense University Hospital and University of Southern 
      Denmark, Denmark.
FAU - Poulsen, Frantz R
AU  - Poulsen FR
AD  - Department of Neurosurgery, Odense University Hospital and University of Southern 
      Denmark, Denmark.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PL  - India
TA  - J Craniovertebr Junction Spine
JT  - Journal of craniovertebral junction & spine
JID - 101536746
PMC - PMC5763588
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - Craniocervical junction
OT  - occipital condyle fracture
OT  - outcome
COIS- There are no conflicts of interest.
EDAT- 2018/02/07 06:00
MHDA- 2018/02/07 06:01
PMCR- 2017/10/01
CRDT- 2018/02/07 06:00
PHST- 2018/02/07 06:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2018/02/07 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2018/02/07 06:01 [medline]
PHST- 2017/10/01 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - JCVJS-8-322 [pii]
AID - 10.4103/jcvjs.JCVJS_97_17 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - J Craniovertebr Junction Spine. 2017 Oct-Dec;8(4):322-327. doi: 
      10.4103/jcvjs.JCVJS_97_17.