Non-operative management of occipital condyle frature: report of three cases and literature review

ABSTRACT

Occipital condyle fractures (OCF) had been difficult to diagnose, but the widespread use of computed tomography (CT) as a diagnostic tool in patients with significant cranio-cervical injury has led to increased recognition of this injury. The incidence of OCF in severely injured blunt trauma patients is estimated at 0.1 - 4.4 percent and as high as 16 percent overall when less severely injured patients are included. OCFs are important because they may be associated with instability of the occipito-atlanto-axial joint complex and there is wide variability in the clinical presentation of individuals with an OCF. This cranio-cervical injury may result in increased morbidity associated with long-term cranio-cervical pain and reduced neck mobility. Patient outcomes tend to reflect the severity of additional injuries rather than independent OCF pathology. We described three OCF cases with severe traumatic brain injury, treated without surgery with favorable outcome and we performed a literature review.