Fracture of the occipital condyle

Abstract

Fracture of the occipital condyle is a very rare traumatic lesion, first described by Bell in 18 17. An extensive search o f the literature revealed only 12 cases to date.3, 4, 8-11 Symptoms and signs are not specific and this lesion usually is associated with multiple traumatic lesions. 4, 8, 9, 11 In severe trauma, the patients may die during the early stages or fracture o f the occipital condyle may not be diagnosed. A high index o f suspicion is required in a patient with craniocervical trauma or with clinical findings o f an abnormality o f the craniocervical region. Diagnosis may be extremely difficult because o f the superimposition on routine plain roentgenograms. The investigation on axial, sagittal and coronal slices o f high-resolution computed tomography with intravenous and/or intrathecal contrast injection, shows the neurovascular problems. © Lippincott-Raven Publishers.