title: [Acute decompensation of os odontoideum in the elderly. Case report].
abstract: Os odontoideum is a lesion of the second cervical vertebra, usually revealed by a neurological decompensation due to a neck injury in young adults. We report the exceptional case of an os odontoideum decompensation in a 81-year-old patient, who became quadriplegic after a fall. Subsequent surgical treatment resulted in complete neurological recovery. Os odontoideum can decompensate at all ages, and the authors recommend preventive surgical treatment in cases of instability, including in the elderly.
authors.affiliation: Service de neurochirurgie, hôpital de la Timone, 264, rue Saint-Pierre, 13385 Marseille cedex 5, France. Electronic address: nicolas.graillon@ap-hm.fr.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Graillon
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rakotozanani
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Graillon
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dufour
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fuentes
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006801:Humans; D009809:Odontoid Process / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Fixation occipito-cervicale; Lésion médullaire; Occipito-cervical fixation; Os odontoideum; Spine cord lesion