Abstract
Aim: We aimed to identify dislocation, myelomalacia, and other
congenital pathologies that may cause neurological complications arising
from the odontoid process in the craniocervical junction (CVJ) of
patients who were performed cervical tomography due to various
complaints. Materials and Methods: Patients who were performed cervical
CT with various complaints between 2010 and 2018 were retrospectively
screened and evaluated, from the hospital registry system. Segmentation
and fusion anomalies arising from the odontoid process in the
craniovertebral junction area, as well as other accompanying pathologies
such as subluxation, dislocation, compression to the spinal cord, and
myelomalacia were also recorded. An additional 1.5 Tesla cervical MRI
was performed for the 12 patients with os odontoideum. Radiological
evaluation was performed on the workstation by an experienced
radiologist. Results: 2525 patients with cervical CT were included in
the study. 67 of these patients had congenital anomalies at the CVJ. 13
of 67 patients had os odontoideum, 38 had Klippel-Feil syndrome (KFS).
Atlanto-occipital assimilation (AOA) and KFS often saw together. Only
AOA was observed in 16 cases. Neck pain and limitation of movement were
the most common findings in patients with congenital anomalies in the
CVJ region. Conclusion: Congenital anomalies at the CVJ region, although
rare, can cause mortality or morbidity. Cervical CT and MRI studies on
the CVJ region should be evaluated carefully by the clinicians due to
the risk of various complications.