• Guoyun Bu, Feng Shuang, Gang Liu, Ye Wu, Shuxun Hou, and Dongfeng Ren.
• The First Department of Spine, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
• World Neurosurg. 2016 Dec 1; 96: 614.e11-614.e14.

Objective And BackgroundTo report symptomatic seizures of a patient with an old type II odontoid fracture with atlantoaxial dislocation. The type II odontoid fracture is a dangerous disease and presents as neurological deficits. Because of the compression of upper cervical cord, without timely diagnosis and treatment, a type II odontoid fracture may result in sudden death. Although it has been shown that epileptic seizures may lead to type II odontoid fracture, there is no report of symptomatic seizures in patients with odontoid fracture.MethodsA 16-year-old adolescent boy with neurological deficits, especially grand mal seizures for duration of 5 years, was diagnosed as an old type II odontoid fracture with atlantoaxial dislocation and treated in our hospital. A 1-year follow-up was performed.ResultsSystematic analyses of the clinical history, manifestations, physical examination, and radiologic results of the patient revealed an old type II odontoid fracture. Magnetic resonance imaging showed spinal cord compression and degeneration. The patient received posterior atlantoaxial fixation and fusion procedure following successful closed reduction. The frequency of seizures was reduced to once a month and there was a thorough recovery in other neurological functions 1 year after the operation.ConclusionsOld type II odontoid fracture might present as symptomatic seizures in addition to other neurological deficits. Posterior atlantoaxial screw-plate fixation and fusion is an effective treatment for old type II odontoid fracture.Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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