ABSTRACT
Objective:
to evaluate the clinical-epidemiological characteristics, treatment, and evolution of patients with occipital condyle fracture (OCF) at one of the largest referral trauma centers in Latin America.
Methods:
this was a retrospective observational study of OCF identified from trauma cases admitted between December 2011 and December 2019 by the neurosurgery team at a Type 3 trauma center.
Results:
a total of twenty-eight occipital condyle fractures were identified in twenty-six patients. The incidence was less than 0.2% per year and more common in male patients (4:1 ratio) involved in traffic accidents. The mean age was 42.08 years. Anderson and Montesano type II and Tuli type 1 were the most frequent (67.9% and 89.3%, respectively) and no case presented C0-C1-C2 instability. All patients were treated with a cervical collar for 3 to 6 months. About 65% of the patients exhibited good progression (Glasgow Outcome Scale equal to 4), and the severity of traumatic brain injury was the main determinant for negative outcomes.
Conclusion:
the findings of this study are in accordance with available literature data. The use of external stabilization with a cervical collar is reinforced for the treatment of stable lesions, even when these are bilateral. Assessment of the patients’ follow-up results in the studied sample may contribute with useful information for the treatment of occipital condyle fractures.
Keywords:
Craniocerebral Trauma; Basilar Skull fracture; Traumatic Brain injuries; Atlanto-Occipital Joint
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