INTRODUCTION: the reduced diameter of the odontoid is a challenge for the surgeon in preoperative planning and in choosing between the fixation of the fracture with one or two screws. OBJECTIVE: to analyze the transverse diameter (TD) of the odontoid process by computerized tomography (CT) for preoperative planning of osteosynthesis with one or two screws. METHODS: Seventy-nine cervical CT scans of adults without congenital malformations or complaints of pain in the upper cervical spine, treated at a private clinic in Blumenau - Santa Catarina, Brazil were analyzed. RESULTS: the mean age revealed no statistically significant difference between the sexes, but there was a statistically significant difference between the average TD of the odontoid of men and women. The TD average in men was of 10.29 mm, and in women it was of 9.39 mm. CONCLUSION: computerized tomography proved to be useful for measuring the odontoid process. The fixation with a 3.5 mm cortical screw would be possible in all examined cases, and the fixation with two screws would be possible in 83.9% of the men and 62.5% of the women.
Spinal cord; Odontoid process; Fracture fixation; Bone screws; Tomography, x-ray, computed
