Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Pseudofracture: An Acute Peripheral Tissue Trauma Model
10:08

Pseudofracture: An Acute Peripheral Tissue Trauma Model

Published on: April 18, 2011

"Baby" Jefferson Fractures Through the C1 Synchondrosis: A Report of 3 Cases

Kyung Jin Park1, Zaid Elsabbagh, Paul D Sponseller

  • 1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.

JBJS Case Connector
|February 8, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric C1 synchondrosis fractures, or "baby Jefferson" fractures, are susceptible in young children. Early CT imaging and nonoperative treatment with immobilization lead to favorable outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Orthopedics
  • Pediatric Radiology
  • Pediatric Traumatology

Background:

  • C1 synchondrosis fractures, also known as "baby Jefferson" fractures, are rare in young children.
  • These fractures involve the anterior synchondroses of the first cervical vertebra (C1).
  • Diagnosis can be challenging with conventional radiography.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the clinical presentation, management, and outcomes of pediatric C1 synchondrosis fractures.
  • To emphasize the diagnostic utility of computed tomography (CT) in these cases.
  • To highlight the effectiveness of nonoperative management.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective case series of 3 pediatric patients (1.5-4 years old) with C1 synchondrosis fractures.
  • Fractures were identified using computed tomography (CT).
  • Patients were treated nonoperatively with cervical immobilization.

Main Results:

  • Minimally widened anterior arch fractures were detected by CT, missed by conventional radiographs.
  • All 3 patients showed fracture healing on serial imaging.
  • A minimum follow-up of 1 year was achieved for all patients.

Conclusions:

  • Preschool-aged children are susceptible to "baby Jefferson" fractures.
  • Early CT imaging is crucial when conventional radiographs are inconclusive for C1 fractures.
  • Nonoperative treatment with cervical immobilization yields favorable outcomes for stable, nondisplaced pediatric C1 fractures.
Abstract

Keywords:
atlas synchondrosiscervical spine traumapediatric C1 fracture

More Related Videos

Creating Rigidly Stabilized Fractures for Assessing Intramembranous Ossification, Distraction Osteogenesis, or Healing of Critical Sized Defects07:35

Creating Rigidly Stabilized Fractures for Assessing Intramembranous Ossification, Distraction Osteogenesis, or Healing of Critical Sized Defects

Published on: April 11, 2012

Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of Orbital Fractures08:18

Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of Orbital Fractures

Published on: May 16, 2025

Related Concept Videos

Fractures: Bone Repair01:27

Fractures: Bone Repair

Treatment for a fracture is based on the type of break, the bone affected, and the patient's age.
Minor fractures with no bone displacement are treated by immobilizing the fractured bone using a cast or splint. However, in the case of fractures with displaced bones, the broken bones are repositioned before immobilization to ensure successful healing without deformation and loss of function. The realignment of fractured bone ends is performed through a process called reduction. If the procedure...
Sutures of the Skull01:22

Sutures of the Skull

The human skull is composed of several bones that come together to protect the brain and support the structures of the face. The junctions where these bones meet are called sutures.
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...
Functional Classification of Joints01:09

Functional Classification of Joints

Functional Classification of Joints
The functional classification of joints is determined by the amount of mobility between the adjacent bones. Joints are functionally classified as a synarthrosis or immobile joint, an amphiarthrosis or slightly moveable joint, or as a diarthrosis, a freely moveable joint. Fibrous and cartilaginous joints can be functionally classified as either synarthroses  or amphiarthroses, whereas all synovial joints are classified as diarthroses.
Synarthrosis
An immobile...
Structural Joints: Cartilaginous Joints01:17

Structural Joints: Cartilaginous Joints

As the name indicates, at a cartilaginous joint, the adjacent bones are united by cartilage, a tough but flexible type of connective tissue. Unlike synovial joints, these types of joints lack a joint cavity and involve bones joined together by either hyaline cartilage or fibrocartilage.
There are two types of cartilaginous joints:
Synchondrosis
A synchondrosis ("joined by cartilage") is a cartilaginous joint where bones are connected by hyaline cartilage. Synchondrosis may be temporary or...
Structural Joints: Synovial Joints01:16

Structural Joints: Synovial Joints

Synovial joints are the most common type of joint in the body. A key structural characteristic for a synovial joint is the presence of a joint cavity. This fluid-filled space is where the articulating surfaces of the bones contact each other. Also, unlike fibrous or cartilaginous joints, the articulating bone surfaces at a synovial joint are not directly connected to each other with fibrous connective tissue or cartilage. This gives the bones of a synovial joint the ability to move smoothly...
Articulations of the Vertebral Column01:28

Articulations of the Vertebral Column

In addition to being held together by the intervertebral discs, adjacent vertebrae also articulate with each other at synovial joints formed between the superior and inferior articular processes called zygapophysial joints (facet joints). These are plane joints that provide for only limited motions between the vertebrae. The orientation of the articular processes at these joints varies in different regions of the vertebral column and serves to determine the types of motions available in each...