Odontoid Fracture

Odontoid fractures occur as a result of trauma to the cervical spine. In younger patients, they are typically the result of high-energy trauma, which occurs as a result of motor vehicle or diving accidents

With odontoid fractures, the most common complication and the most serious is a nonunion of the bones that can lead to an increased mortality rate.

Treatments. Treatment options for type II odontoid fractures can be nonsurgical or surgical. Nonsurgical measures include immobilization, prevent or restrict movement, in a cervical collar or halo vest. Surgery may be required if the fracture has resulted in neurologic symptoms and/or the spine has become unstable.

• Primary spinal tumors: Primary spinal tumors are those that originate in the spine. They are relatively rare, typically benign (noncancerous) and represent a small percentage of spinal tumors. Malignant tumors may also originate in the spine, although more often they spread to the spine from elsewhere in the body.
• Secondary spinal tumors: Secondary spinal tumors (metastatic tumors) are tumors that have spread to the spine from cancer that has started elsewhere in the body. These tumors are the most common type in the spine and are cancerous (have the potential to spread further and are typically fast-growing).

Spine Tumor Symptoms

Spinal tumors can cause different signs and symptoms when it happened. The spinal tumor can directly affect the spinal cord and bones into the spinal cord. The following symptoms may show when the spinal tumor can happen

• Back pain
• Stiff neck or back
• Muscle weakness
• Heat and clod condition are less sensitive
• Loss of bowel or bladder function
• Difficulty walking
• spinal pain
• Due to spinal pain hard to work in regular life
• Paralysis
• Worsens with touch or compression
• Lower back or neck pain

Diagnosis

• Diagnosis involves computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans. SDHs vary in density and may extend over a large portion of the surface of the brain.
• An initial misdiagnosis of dementia is particularly common in elderly patients where symptoms involved a steady decline in overall mental function. An errant diagnosis at the time of hospital admission occurs in up to 40 percent of cases.

Treatment

• Patients with chronic subdural hematomas that produce symptoms are effectively and safely treated by drilling a hole in the skull and draining the blood mass through a catheter. This procedure can often be performed at the patient’s bedside rather than the operating room.

Outcome

• Recovery after brain injuryvaries widely.
• Overall, 80 percent to 90 percent of patients have significant brain function improvement after drainage of a chronic SDH.
• Residual fluid may collect after treatment, but improvement of symptoms does not require complete removal of the fluid.