Surgical Management of Odontoid Fracture in Elderly

Odontoid type II fractures are associated with high mortality in the elderly. No formal guidelines are present regarding the treatment of such fractures. Their management can be done either conservatively or surgically, however, surgical treatment is technically demanding and relatively new. We report a case of 75 years old man who presented to our clinical setting, following a history of fall. The CT scan and MRI showed odontoid type II fracture. With time, the neurological deficit got marked and he underwent transoral odontoidectomy and occipitocervical fixation using rods and screws via posterior approach. Patient's neurological condition improved dramatically and on the short term follow up, he had no motor deficit. Our experience suggests that occipitocervical fixation via posterior approach is a viable option for the management of odontoid type II fracture in the geriatric population.