Abstract
Background
Odontoid synchondral fractures in very young children with displacement/angulation are highly unstable and require surgical intervention. Soft and small bones with poor pull-out strengths make instrumentation and manipulation difficult.
Case report
We report an 18-month-old child with such a fracture where minimal traction made C1–2 dysjunction apparent with neurological worsening. The C1–2 facets were fixed with a short plate and facetal screws. The child had a good outcome.
Conclusion
Traction should be applied cautiously to avoid distraction injuries. Careful intraoperative manipulation should be planned to avoid any pull outs/fractures while realigning the spine and fixing it.
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Pravin Salunke: Concept and design, critical review, collection, collation of data and manuscript drafting
Parth Jani: Collection, collation of data, and manuscript drafting
Sushanta K Sahoo: Collection, collation of data, and manuscript drafting
Chandrashekhar Gendle: Data collection and collation, manuscript drafting
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Salunke, P., Jani, P., Sahoo, S.K. et al. Displaced odontoid synchondrosis fracture with C1-2 dysjunction in an 18-month-old child: challenges and solutions. Childs Nerv Syst 37, 1377–1380 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-020-04848-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-020-04848-4