title: Clinical and radiological investigations on cervical spine involvement in rheumatoid arthritis in adults.
abstract: The radiological and clinical features of cervical spine involvement observed in 49 patients with rheumatoid arthritis are described. The forward atlas-odontoid subluxation, after an x-ray with full flexion of the cervical spine, occurred in 36.9% of the cases. The upward subluxation was found in 8 (17.4%) cases, but only in one (2.2%) case it was of high degree. In one case lateral subluxation could be suspected by the asymmetrical involvement of the atlanto-axial joints. Erosions of the odontoid peg, subluxation at various levels, discitis and osteoporosis with various frequency were observed. A statistically significant relation has been observed between duration of the disease and radiological signs at the level C1-C2; between radiological features and severity of general clinic picture; between cervical lesions at the level C1-C2 and presence of osteolysis affecting hands, wrists, feet. Clinically, signs concerned with cervical spine involvement were found in 83.6%. Besides cervical pain and functional limitation, the headache was the most frequent clinical sign. It was confined to the occipital region in 69.4% of the cases, and was present at awakening or occurred in connection with movements of the cervical spine and head (53.1%). This study confirms the frequent involvement of the cervical spine in rheumatoid arthritis and shows that performing a complete examination of C1-C2 area is useful, in the most serious forms of RA, since the third year of course.
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D011859:Radiography