Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 17, 2025

Lateral Molar Approach-Driven Transoral Endoscopic Procedure for Benign Infratemporal Fossa Tumor Resection
Published on: August 15, 2025
Retro-odontoid pseudotumor: a poorly recognized alteration of the craniocervical junction
Andrew Vinícius de Souza Batista1, Guilherme Brasileiro de Aguiar2, Jefferson Walter Daniel2
1. Médico residente de Neurocirurgia da Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
Introduction:
Retro-odontoid pseudotumor (ROP) is a rare disease that affects the atlantoaxial joint and, in general, is associated with local biomechanical alterations that may or may not cause instability.
Methods:
Descriptive study of the literature available in databases MEDLINE/PubMed, LILACS, and Scopus. The research was conducted in April 2019.
Discussion:
ROP is, possibly, a syndromic designation that encompasses a significant variety of diseases of the atlantoaxial joint. There are different pathophysiological mechanisms implicated in its genesis. The patients, almost in their entirety, present with severe myelopathy, and most of them are treated surgically, with the posterior decompression being the most commonly used method, with or without arthrodesis. Evolution is usually favorable.
Conclusion:
The ROP is still poorly recognized as a differential diagnosis between the diseases of the cranial-cervical junction. The information available in the literature analyzed was based mainly on the study of reports or case series; therefore, it is insufficient to define conducts with a high level of scientific evidence.
Related Concept Videos
Cranial Bones: Superior and Posterior View
The frontal bone is the single bone that forms the forehead. At its anterior midline, between the eyebrows, there is a slight depression called the glabella. The frontal bone also forms the supraorbital margin of the orbit. Near the middle of this margin is the supraorbital foramen, the opening that provides passage for a sensory nerve to the forehead. The frontal bone is thickened just above each supraorbital margin,...
Cranial Bones: Lateral View
The temporal bone forms the lower lateral side of the skull. The temporal bone is subdivided into several regions. The flattened upper portion is the squamous portion of the temporal bone. Below this area and projecting anteriorly is the zygomatic process of the temporal bone, which forms the posterior portion of the zygomatic arch. Posteriorly is the mastoid portion of the temporal bone. Projecting...
Articulations of the Vertebral Column
Sutures of the Skull
Sutures are immobile joints between adjacent bones of the skull. The narrow gap between the bones is filled with dense, fibrous connective tissue that unites the bones. The long sutures located between the skull bones are not straight but instead follow irregular, tightly twisting paths. These twisting lines tightly...
Cranial Nerves: Overview and Anatomy
Cranial and Spinal Meninges
Cranial Meninges
These meningeal layers cover the cranium. The dura mater is the outermost layer of cranial meninges. It is a thick and durable membrane of dense...

