Expert's comment concerning Grand Rounds case entitled 'treatment strategies for severe C1C2 luxation due to congenital os odontoideum causing tetraplegia' (by C. M. Bach, D. Arbab and M. Thaler, doi:10.1007/s00586- 012-2329-5)

摘要

The authors have treated a complex case having severe craniovertebral deformity and instability [1]. The patient, a 13-year-old girl, presented with progressive quadriparesis. The result of treatment has been good and as they say 'nothing succeeds like success'. However, I feel that there is a scope of learning a lot more from this case. Obviously, there are several ways to bell a cat. Craniovertebral junction is the most mobile and most stable regions of the spine. The centre of stability is the C0-C1 joint, whereas the centre for mobility is the C1-C2 joint. Craniovertebral junction instability generally refers to atlantoaxial instability.