Citation

Inaoka T, Ohashi K, El-Khoury GY. Emerg. Radiol. 2007; 14(3): 191-194.

Affiliation

Department of Radiology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. tsutomu-inaoka@uiowa.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10140-007-0584-2

PMID

17333085

Abstract

Atlas fractures commonly present more than two breaks in its ring structure because of the unique anatomy and the mechanism of injury. The incidence of a single break in the atlas ring is exceedingly rare. However, we encountered two cases of a single fracture of the atlas. One patient was struck by a falling tree on the right side of the head and the other was involved in a motor vehicle accident. Radiographs of the cervical spine failed to show a single fracture or other abnormalities. Computed tomography demonstrated the single fracture. The patients were treated conservatively with a cervical collar, and they both recovered completely. In this article, we present two cases of a single fracture of the atlas with a review of the literature.

Language: en