Abstract
Background: Traumatic occipital-cervical dislocation (OCD) in children and adolescents is a rare and serious injury, which generally leads to death. For those who survive, there are usually severe and permanent neurological deficits. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to present the case of a 13-year-old boy with OCD, the treatment and results at two years follow-up. Study design/setting: The study design includes a case report and review of the literature. Methods: We present a case of OCD survivor, two years of follow-up care, and review of the literature regarding OCD. Results: A 13-year-old boy was injured in a car accident in 2013. He was admitted to the emergency department with OCD and multiple trauma. After vital signs were stabilized, occipital-cervical spinal fusion was performed. He was discharged home four months after the injury in good general condition, with neurological deficits resulting from the head and spinal cord damage. Conclusions: OCD in children and adolescents is quite rare and usually fatal. In spite of appropriate treatment (occipital-cervical fusion), the prognosis remains uncertain and at times poor due to irreversible neurological damage. Only a correct prompt diagnosis, along with immediate treatment initiation leads to survival.
Highlights
Injures of the cervical spine in children and adolescents are relatively rare and quite different from adults [1,2]
A correct prompt diagnosis, along with immediate treatment initiation leads to survival
Most cases of the occipital-cervical dislocation (OCD) survivors had been reported in the last decade [5,6,7,8,9,10], due to the progress in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) techniques, modern equipment, faster diagnosis, and emergency treatment; survival rate is low and survivors usually have severe and permanent neurological deficits
Summary
Injures of the cervical spine in children and adolescents are relatively rare and quite different from adults [1,2]. The exact incidence is unknown due to the very high mortality rate during the accident, but it is estimated that OCD constitutes 0.7% to 1.3% of all the cervical spine injuries [3,4]. It is usually caused by a high-energy trauma, such as a traffic accident. Traumatic occipital-cervical dislocation (OCD) in children and adolescents is a rare and serious injury, which generally leads to death. For those who survive, there are usually severe and permanent neurological deficits. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to present the case of a 13-year-old boy with OCD, the treatment and results at two years follow-up
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