Post-traumatic os odontoideum - case presentation and literature review

Os odontoideum is a rare condition. Nevertheless this condition was described by Giacomini in 1886. It is defined radiologicaly as an oval or round-shaped ossicle of variable size with smooth circumferential cortical margins representing the odontoid process that has no continuity with the body of C2. It is important to review this topic since the upper cervical spinal region is complex from anatomical point of view and has many vital structures passing in close relation to each other. If a person suffers from hyper mobile dens due to insufficiency of its ligamentous complex, it may cause translation of the atlas on the axis and may compress the cervical cord or vertebral arteries. There are cases where patients suffering from Os odontoideum became quadriplegic after a minor trauma. This lesion usually present in pediatric population and its cause is widely debatable today. In our paper we present a review of Os odontoideum in general and present a specific case of a young woman that was diagnosed with Os odontoideum together with the methods that were used to examine, stabilize and finally treat her.