Surgically treated traumatic synchondrotic disruption of the odontoid process in a 15-month-old girl

A case of traumatic synchondrotic disruption in a 15-month-old girl is reported; she was treated with interlaminar wiring of C1-C2 without grafting. Reduction of the dislocation and angulation and stability were achieved without evidence of growth disturbance. However, the child's initial poor neurological status with tetraplegia below the level of C7 remained unchanged. Besides our case, there are only three other cases in the literature of young children primarily operated on for a traumatic odontoid synchondrotic disruption. Even though the dorsal interlaminar wiring of C1-C2 without grafting is an easy and safe procedure even in the very young, the optimal form of treatment for this rare injury is still unsettled.