title: Os-odontoideum leading to atlanto-axial instability--report of surgery in four cases.
abstract: Os odontoideum can lead to atlantoaxial instability, which can be either reducible or a fixed dislocation. We present surgical management in four patients with os odontoideum at our center. Two of these had reducible dislocations and were managed by posterior transarticular screw fixation. Other two had fixed dislocations necessitating posterior decompression and occipitocervical fixation.
authors.affiliation: Spinal Surgery Unit, Department of Orthopaedics, Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Muhammad Asad
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Qureshi
authors.forename: Waseem
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Afzal
authors.forename: Arslan S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Malik
authors.forename: Jamil S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Ullah
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aebi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001268:Atlanto-Axial Joint / Q000601:surgery*; D002648:Child; D019299:Decompression, Surgical; D006801:Humans; D004204:Joint Dislocations / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D009809:Odontoid Process / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000601:surgery*; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000379:methods*