ABSTRACT
The surgical treatment of the odontoid fractures is an important problem in the practice of medical teams involved in spinal surgery. There is still no consensus on dealing with fractures C2. The stabilization of the rodontoid with 1 or 2 cannulated screws (AOSF) is currently one of the options in the treatment of C2 unstable fractures since Bohler and Nakanishi introduced this method. AIM: The aim of the study was to assess the risk of complications in the early perioperative period of patients subjected to the stabilization procedure of the odontoid using AOSF. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective results of treatment of patients with odontoid fractures treated surgically with AOSF in the neuroortopedic ward in 2009-2018 were analyzed. The study also assessed the size of blood loss during surgery, the duration of surgery, the average time of hospitalization, the number of days in the ward after surgery. Perioperative complications, spinal cord injury, hematoma and wound area infection, the number of reoperations and intra- and perioperative mortality were also assessed. RESULTS: Most of the 47 patients treated with AOSF exceeded 50 years of age. The duration of the operation was on average 95 +/- 15 min. Only one patient required early reoperation on the second postoperative day due to a hematoma within the neck accompanied by dyspnea. Intra- and post-operative blood loss did not exceed 100 ml, and in 42 (89%) patients, there was no trace. There were no signs of surgical site infection. 19 patients (40%) from the operated group had additional fractures. The average time of hospitalization was 6.7 +/- 2.3 days, and the duration of stay after surgery 3.6 +/- 2.2 days. In the postoperative period, no cardiorespiratory complications were observed. CONCLUSIONS: A high safety profile of the stabilization of the odontoid was found using AOSF. Stabilization from the anterior approach enables early mobilization of the patients and shortening the time of hospital stay.
