title: A Case of Delayed Myelopathy Caused by Atlantoaxial Subluxation without Fracture.
abstract: We report a case of delayed myelopathy caused by atlantoaxial subluxation without fracture. The patient was a 38-year-old male who became aware of weakness in extremities. The patient had a history of hitting his head severely while diving into a swimming pool at the age of 14 years old. At that time, cervical spine plain X-ray images showed no fracture, and the cervical pain disappeared after use of a collar for several weeks. At his first visit to our department, X-ray images showed an unstable atlantoaxial joint. After surgery, weakness of the extremities gradually improved. At 6 months after surgery, bone union was completed and the symptoms disappeared. This case shows that atlantoaxial ligament injuries are difficult to diagnose and may easily be missed. A high level of suspicion is important in such cases, since neurological compromise or deterioration may occur many years after the injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Toho University School of Medicine, 6-11-1 Omori-nishi, Ota-ku, Tokyo 143-8541, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Takamatsu
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
authors.forename: Fumiaki
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Terajima
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Katsunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fukutake
authors.forename: Akihito
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wada