• Ryan C Hofler, Nathan Pecoraro, and G Alexander Jones.
• Department of Neurosurgery, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois, USA.
• World Neurosurg. 2019 Jun 1; 126: e125-e135.

BackgroundAtlantoaxial instability (AAI) is a common cause of neurologic dysfunction and pain in patients with Down syndrome (DS), frequently requiring instrumented fusion of the upper cervical spine. Despite this, optimal treatment strategy is controversial.MethodsA systematic review of the literature was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systemic Reviews and Meta-Analysis statement to identify patients with AAI and DS were treated with upper cervical spine fusion. Patient demographics, preoperative symptoms, fixation type, and outcome measures including complications, neurologic outcomes, and bony fusion status were gathered for patients in the included publications. Meta-analysis was performed to compare outcomes of different types of fixation constructs.ResultsOf the 1191 publications retrieved, 51 met inclusion criteria, yielding 137 patients. Six fixation strategies were identified: noninstrumented (n = 6), wiring (n = 77), wiring with rods (n = 14), screw fixation (n = 33), hook and rod fixation (n = 2), and screw and wire fixation (n = 5). Constructs with screws and rods had greater bony union (P = 0.003) and a lower rate of revision surgery (P = 0.047), loss of reduction or pseudoarthrosis (P = 0.009), halo utilization (P < 0.001), and early neurologic decline (P = 0.004) compared with wiring alone. Constructs with wires and rods had greater bony union (P = 0.036) than wiring alone.ConclusionsNumerous fixation strategies exist for AAI in patients with DS. Using a combination of screws, rods, and wiring in appropriately selected patients may help reduce the high rate of surgical complications in these patients.Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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