Delayed diagnosis of a spontaneous atlanto-axial rotatory dislocation.
Without any known specific cause a 3-year-old boy developed a torticollis. Although the symptoms were treated immediately there was no improvement. Four months later X-rays showed that the dens-atlas distance was enlarged. In spite of this, he was treated by tenotomy and intensive physiotherapy, but the torticollis remained. Two years later a tomogram and a CT showed a complete rotatory dislocation between atlas and axis. At this stage it was impossible to treat the original cause. Physiotherapy was continued to improve the position of the head.
D001268:Atlanto-Axial Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D004204:Joint Dislocations / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D013997:Time Factors; D014056:Tomography, X-Ray; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014103:Torticollis / Q000209:etiology