Hypertrophy of the anterior arch of the atlas associated with congenital nonunion of the posterior arch: a retrospective case-control study

Abstract

Background contextNonunion of the posterior arch of the atlas is an uncommon but normal developmental variant. It is usually asymptomatic in the patient but may be associated with greater incidence of fracture because of increased stress on the anterior arch. PurposeWe sought to determine whether anterior arch hypertrophy is present in cases of congenital nonunion of the posterior arch of the atlas. Study design/settingA retrospective analysis of 1 year (February 2005–January 2006) of computed tomography cervical spine studies requested by the University of California San Diego Medical Center Trauma Department was undertaken. Patient sampleAll patients matching the search criteria (see Study design) were included. Outcome measuresArea density product, defined as the midline cross-sectional area of the anterior arch on sagittal reformat multiplied by the average areal radiodensity in Hounsfield units (HU) as measured by two raters, was calculated for cases and controls. MethodsCases of posterior arch nonunion were identified and matched to controls. The significance of differences in area density product between cases and controls were established by the Student t test. Interrater correlation was calculated. ResultsPosterior arch nonunion was identified in 26 individuals (3.1% of 839 studies reviewed). Compared with age- and sex-matched controls, a 21% increase in area density product of the midline anterior arch was observed in posterior arch nonunion cases (773 HU-cm2 in cases vs. 637 HU-cm2 in controls; p<.001). This increase was attributable to a 21% increase in cross-sectional area (1.05 cm2 in cases vs. 0.87 cm2 in controls; p<.002). In contrast, there was no significant difference with regard to increased average radiodensity. ConclusionsIt has long been subjectively recognized but not objectively quantified, until the present study, that the anterior arch of the atlas is hypertrophied in cases of posterior arch nonunion. Anterior arch hypertrophy may represent an adaptive response to chronically elevated mechanical stress and loss of hoop strength in cases of posterior nonunion.