Résumé
Road accident and hyperextension are the commonest cause of mechanism of cervicocranial injuries. The present study included 16 patients presenting to the neurosurgery and orthopedics departments of Alexandria University Hospitals 50% of them suffered from odontoid fractures. Plain radiography remain the most effective screening technique, lateral projection is the most important of the routine trauma series. Prevertebral soft tissue swelling was found to be the commonest radiological finding, while displacement of bony fragments, disturbance of the cervical spine alignment and encroachment on the spinal canal were less common. Tomography is indicated whenever fracture is suspected clinically, but is not identified by plain radiography or when finer details of fracture line are needed