Endoscopic transnasal odontoidectomy combined with posterior reduction to treat basilar invagination: technical note

Transoral microscopic odontoidectomy has been accepted as a standard procedure to treat basilar invagination over the past several decades. In recent years the emergence of new technologies, including endoscopic odontoidectomy and posterior reduction, has presented a challenge to the traditional treatment algorithm. In this article, the authors describe 1 patient with basilar invagination who was successfully treated with endoscopic transnasal odontoidectomy combined with posterior reduction. The purpose of this report is to validate the effectiveness of this treatment algorithm in selected cases and describe several operative nuances and pearls based on the authors' experience.

One patient with basilar invagination caused by a congenital osseous malformation underwent endoscopic transnasal odontoidectomy combined with posterior reduction in a single operative setting. The purely endoscopic transnasal odontoidectomy was first conducted with the patient supine. The favorable anatomical reduction was then achieved through a posterior approach after the patient was moved prone.

The patient was extubated after recovery from anesthesia and allowed oral food intake the next day. No complications were noted, and the patient was discharged 4 days after the operation. Postoperative imaging demonstrated excellent decompression of the anterior cervicomedullary junction pathology. The patient was followed up for 12 months and remarkable neurological recovery was observed.

The endoscopic transnasal odontoidectomy is a better minimally invasive approach for anterior decompression and can make the posterior reduction easier because the anterior resistant force is eliminated. The subsequent posterior reduction can make decompression of the ventral side of the cervicomedullary junction more effective because the C-2 vertebral body is pushed forward. A combination of these 2 approaches has the advantages of minimally invasive access and a faster patient recovery, and thus is a valid alternative in selected cases.