Summary
A total of 150 odontoid fractures was treated over a 12-year period, 43 by anterior screw fixation. The rate of pseudarthrosis dropped from 20% to 5% in type II unstable fractures. Thus, anterior screw fixation seems to be safe and efficient, and may be more widely used to treat all type 11 and some type III fractures. Odontoid pseudarthrosis is usually tolerated quite well and therefore requires no correction. If necessary, anterior grafting with fixation can be proposed as an alternative for posterior fusion.
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Pointillart, V., Lopez Orta, A., Freitas, J. et al. Odontoid fractures. Eur Spine J 3, 282–285 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02226580
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02226580