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High rate of fracture healing seen with posterior atlantoaxial screw-rod fixation
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ORLANDO, Fla. — Type II odontoid fractures had a high rate of healing and a low risk of nonunion after treatment with posterior atlantoaxial screw-rod fixation, according to results of a study presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting.
More than 90% of patients in a 63-patient cohort exhibited successful fracture healing after treatment with posterior atlantoaxial screw-rod fixation, study author Dageng Huang, MD, said at the meeting.
“The healing rate of type II odontoid fractures treated with modern posterior atlantoaxial fixation is high. So, we concluded that posterior atlantoaxial and temporary screw-rod fixation for type II odontoid fractures can be conducted with a low risk of nonunion,” he said.
In total, 63 patients were included in the study and the mean follow-up was 21.6 months. Patients older than 65 years were excluded from the study, and patients who had confirmed odontoid fracture healing were included. If odontoid fracture healing was not confirmed, patients were asked to undergo a CT examination at the final follow-up.
Huang said fracture healing was confirmed based on the presence of bridging bone across the odontoid fracture site as evidenced on CT image. Investigators found 58 patients (92.1%) exhibited fracture healing at final follow-up. – by Robert Linnehan
Reference:
Huang D, et al. Paper #54. Presented at: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting; March 1-5, 2016; Orlando, Fla.
Disclosure: Huang reports no relevant financial disclosures.