title: Congenital posterior atlas defect associated with anterior rachischisis and early cervical degenerative disc disease: a case study and review of the literature.
abstract: A rare case of a wide congenital atlas defect is reported. A 25 year-old woman was admitted after complaints of radicular pain in the right arm. Radiographs incidentally revealed aplasia of the posterior arch of the atlas together with anterior rachischisis. A review of the literature is presented and a possible association with early disc degeneration is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, University of Crete Heraklion, Greece. paskudr@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Dritan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pasku
authors.forename: Pavlos
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Katonis
authors.forename: Apostolos
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Karantanas
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hadjipavlou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001270:Cervical Atlas / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000196:embryology; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000209:etiology; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D016135:Spinal Dysraphism / Q000150:complications*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed