title: Delayed decompression of chronic C1C2 subluxation in a pediatric patient with tetraplegia--is recovery possible?
abstract: A 2 year-old Malay girl was admitted to our institution with a chesty cough and breathlessness but later found to have a chronic C1/C2 subluxation for one and half year with tetraplegia. Her cervical cord was decompressed and occipito-cervical fusion performed. Her neurological status improved significantly post-operatively and is able to care for her personal hygiene. The authors believe that the ability of the cervical cord to recover in the paediatric age group is remarkable that surgical option should be considered even when all seen lost. We believe that this is the first report in the literature to support this potential.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Malaya, Lembah Pantai, Kuala Lumpur.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Razif
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Lim
mesh_terms: D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019299:Decompression, Surgical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D004204:Joint Dislocations / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D011782:Quadriplegia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D011859:Radiography; D020127:Recovery of Function; D013997:Time Factors