C1-C2 Subluxation after Mild Cervical Spine Trauma in a Child
C1-C2 Subluxation after Mild Cervical Spine Trauma in a Child
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Author Info
Isabel Snee Catherine A. Mazzola
Corresponding Author
Isabel SneeThe University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, USA
A B S T R A C T
We report a case of a seven-year-old girl who presented with a “Cock-Robin” head tilt and cervical spine injury after falling from her bed. Initial cervical spine X-ray reported a fractured clavicle. However, almost four weeks later, the torticollis had not resolved. Computerized tomography (CT) of the cervical spine revealed subluxation of the atlanto-axial joint at C1-C2. Cervical spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) did not show any spinal cord injury. Manual reduction and hard collar placement were attempted, yet C1- C2 subluxation recurred. The child was placed into halo traction and then into a halo vest. CT scan showed near complete resolution of C1-C2 subluxation. Three months later the halo device was removed, and the patient was placed in a hard cervical collar then transitioned into a soft collar over a four month period. During this time, the patient received physical therapy. Final cervical spine radiographs revealed proper cervical spine alignment and resolution of C1-C2 subluxation.
Article Info
Article Type
Case ReportPublication history
Received: Thu 02, Jul 2020Accepted: Tue 14, Jul 2020
Published: Wed 29, Jul 2020
Copyright
© 2023 Isabel Snee. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Hosting by Science Repository.DOI: 10.31487/j.SCR.2020.07.17