title: A single fracture in the atlas ring: report of two cases and a review of the literature.
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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. tsutomu-inaoka@uiowa.edu
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Inaoka
authors.forename: Kenjirou
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohashi
authors.forename: Georges Y
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: El-Khoury
mesh_terms: D000062:Accidents, Occupational; D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000328:Adult; D001915:Braces; D001270:Cervical Atlas / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed