[Occipital condyle fracture without neurological deficit: apropos of a case]

Fracture of the occipital condyles is a rare pathology that can be easily undiagnosed. The bibliographic references on this theme are scarce and the majority are related to patients with palsy of the low cranial nerves and/or a high cervical subluxation with abnormal posture of the neck. The authors describe one case of the occipital condyle fracture without clinical manifestations other than persistent pain, and without alterations of the high cervical region. The patient was submitted to conservative treatment by means of a cervical collar due to the existence of minor symptoms. The clinical criteria that should lead to the study of this pathology are discussed, just as the use of a computerized tomography bone window as the fundamental instrument in its diagnosis and classification.