Abstract
In a series of 400 patients with fractures and dislocations of the cervical spine, 5% involved the atlas. There are nearly equal numbers of fractures of the posterior arch, bursting fractures of Jefferson, and horizontal fractures of the anterior arch. Atlas fractures are rarely associated with neurologic deficit, but they may be the cause of severe pain. Hypotheses concerning the mechanism of injury in each type of fracture are discussed. The characteristic roentgenographic findings and the differential diagnoses are reviewed.
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Gehweiler, J.A., Duff, D.E., Martinez, S. et al. Fractures of the atlas vertebra. Skeletal Radiol. 1, 97–102 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00347414
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00347414