Neurological Recovery after Occipitocervical Fixation
Purpose. To report on 14 consecutive cases of occipitocervical fixation. Methods. Records of 8 men and 6 women aged 40 to 81 (mean, 57) years who underwent occipitocervical fixation and were followed up for a minimum of 2 years were retrospectively reviewed. Neurological grading was assessed before...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2007-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/230949900701500317 |
| Summary: | Purpose. To report on 14 consecutive cases of occipitocervical fixation. Methods. Records of 8 men and 6 women aged 40 to 81 (mean, 57) years who underwent occipitocervical fixation and were followed up for a minimum of 2 years were retrospectively reviewed. Neurological grading was assessed before and after surgery using the Ranawat grade. Intra-operative somatosensory evoked potentials were monitored. Results. The main indications for surgery were rheumatoid arthritis (n=6) and cervical metastasis (n=4). 77% of the patients demonstrated neurological improvement. Four out of the 5 non-ambulatory patients (Ranawat grade IIIB) regained ambulatory status postoperatively. No patient had neurological deterioration or evidence of vertebral artery or spinal cord injury. One endured a superficial wound infection and 2 had implant breakage. Conclusion. Although occipitocervical fixation is technically challenging and there are risks of serious neurologic or vascular complications, it remains a viable option with favourable results in patients requiring stabilisation of the craniocervical junction. |
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| ISSN: | 2309-4990 |