title: Anteroposterior spondyloschisis of the atlas. Two case reports and literature review.
abstract: Congenital bony defects of the atlas are uncommon; with isolated posterior clefts being the most frequent anomaly and combined anterior and posterior defects the least common, occurring in only 0.3-0.7% of the population. These anomalies can cause confusion, particularly in the setting of trauma when appearances on plain radiography may be misinterpreted as representing a fracture. Two cases of anteroposterior spondyloschisis are presented and the pathology, diagnosis and the clinical relevance of such defects discussed with reference to previous published literature.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Hammersmith Hospital NHS trust, Duncan Road, London W12 0HS, UK. msekumar@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Senthil Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Muthu
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: Windsor J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Gunawardena
authors.forename: Geetha
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Balakrishnan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001270:Cervical Atlas / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000293:injuries; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed