[Atloaxoid dislocation with basilar pressure and spinal cord symptoms in rheumatoid arthritis. A case of occipitocervical arthrodesis followed by resection of the odontoid]

Abstract

The authors report a case of atlanto-axial dislocation in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis. There was some neurological impairment with upper limb pain and hyperreflexia. As a first stage, a cranio-cervical fusion was performed through a posterior approach. Three weeks later the axis was excised through an antero-lateral approach, together with its odontoid process. The patient's condition was much improved and the neurological lesions disappeared.