• Franz Josef Mueller, Bernd Kinner, Michael Rosskopf, Carsten Neumann, Michael Nerlich, and Bernd Fuechtmeier.
• Department of Trauma Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, 93042 Regensburg, Germany. muellerfj5@aol.com
• Eur Spine J. 2013 Jan 1;22(1):65-71.

BackgroundProspective evaluation of atlanto-occipital dissociations (AODs) at a level 1 trauma centre within 5 years.MethodsOver a period of 5 years (2005-2009), all CT scans of the skull base and the upper cervical spine due to traumatic injuries were prospectively entered into a database. Furthermore, in cases of confirmed AOD all empirical data were prospectively collected. A more detailed data analysis of all AOD patients was conducted 2 years post-trauma. If required, another prospective follow-up was performed.Results2,616 CT scans were performed in total. Out of these, there were five male patients with confirmed AOD. Thus, the total incidence was 0.2 %. AOD was associated with occipital condyle fractures in three out of the five cases. Three out of five patients (60 %) died due to the severity of the injury. It was possible to stabilise two patients surgically with a clinical/radiological follow-up 2 years post-surgery. At that time, one patient had an incomplete tetraplegia and was wheelchair ridden without needing ventilation, while the other patient suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, but was able to walk and live alone.ConclusionsAOD is a rarely seen injury, even in a level 1 trauma centre, and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. However, it is possible for adults to survive this severe occipito-cervical injury after surgical repair while maintaining the ability to walk. All the results and recommendations are still based on a low level of evidence, due to the low incidence of this injury.

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