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C1 fractures: a review of diagnoses, management options, and outcomes

  • Cervical Injuries and Treatment (HJ Kim, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The atlas is subject to fracture under axial load, often due to traumatic injuries such as shallow dives and automobile accidents. These fractures account for 2–13 % of injuries to the cervical spine [Marcon RM et al. Clinics (Sao Paulo) 68(11):1455-61, 2013]. Fractures of the C1 vertebra are often difficult to diagnose, as there is often no neurological deficit or easily identifiable findings on radiographs. However, injuries to the atlas can be associated with vertebral artery injury and atlantoaxial or atlanto-occipital instability, making prompt and accurate diagnosis imperative. A detailed understanding of the anatomy, inherent stability, and common injury patterns is essential for any surgeon treating spinal trauma. This chapter explores the diagnosis and management of C1 fractures, as well as outcomes after treatment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rothman Institute, 925 Chestnut Street, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, USA

    Loren B. Mead II, Jonathan Krystal & Alexander R. Vaccaro

  2. Thomas Jefferson University, 1015 Walnut St. Curtis 501, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, USA

    Paul W. Millhouse

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Correspondence to Loren B. Mead II.

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Conflict of interest

Loren B. Mead II and Jonathan Krystal declare that they have no conflict of interest. Paul W. Millhouse reports financial relations with Globus Medical, outside the submitted work. Alexander R. Vaccaro reports other from Replication Medica, personal fees from DePuy, personal fees from Medtronics, personal fees from Stryker Spine, personal fees and other from Globus, other from Paradigm Spine, personal fees and other from Stout Medical, other from Progressive Spinal Technologies, other from Advanced Spinal Intellectual Properties, personal fees from Aesculap, other from Spine Medica, other from Computational Biodynamics, other from Spinology, other from In Vivo, other from Flagship Surgical, other from Cytonics, other from Bonovo Orthopaedics, other from Electrocore, other from Gamma Spine, other from Location Based Intelligence, other from FlowPharma, personal fees from Gerson Lehrman Group, personal fees from Guidepoint Global, personal fees from Medacorp, other from Rothman Institute and Related Properties, other from AO Spine, personal fees and other from Innovative Surgical Design, other from Association of Collaborative Spine Research, personal fees from Orthobullets, personal fees from Thieme, personal fees from Jaypee, personal fees from Elsevier, personal fees from Taylor Francis/Hodder and Stoughton, personal fees from Expert Testimony, personal fees from Ellipse, other from Vertiflex, other from Avaz Surgical, other from Clinical Spine Surgery, other from Spine Journal, other from Prime Surgeons, outside the submitted work.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Cervical Injuries and Treatment

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Mead, L.B., Millhouse, P.W., Krystal, J. et al. C1 fractures: a review of diagnoses, management options, and outcomes. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med 9, 255–262 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12178-016-9356-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12178-016-9356-5

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