title: Placement of unilateral lag screw through the lateral mass of C-1: description of a novel technique.
abstract: Over the past several decades, many advancements and new techniques have emerged regarding the instrumentation and stabilization of the upper cervical spine. In this article, the authors describe a novel technique in which a unilateral lag screw was placed to reduce and stabilize a progressively widening fracture and nonunion of the right C-1 lateral mass approximately 8 weeks after the initial injury, which was sustained when a large tree branch fell onto the patient's posterior head and neck.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas 72205, USA.
authors.forename: Monir
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tabbosha
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dowdy
authors.forename: T Glenn
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Pait
mesh_terms: D000059:Accidents; D000328:Adult; D001863:Bone Screws; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome