78 year old male presents with c/o bilateral hand clumsiness and balance problems. There is a remote history of fall about 4 years ago when he had neck pain and was treated in a cervical collar. There is no previous diagnosis of fracture.
He was having balance issues along with weakness in all 4 extremities. X rays, CT scan and MRI showed a non-union of odontoid fracture with pannus formation and fibrous union, instability with compression of spinal cord at C1-2 level.
After thorough discussion with the patient, an operative management was planned. Posterior C-12 decompression with stabilization with a C1-2 screw and rod fixation was performed.
Patient started recovery in his neurological status post operatively and was sent to rehab. He recovered near complete strength and coordination in 3-4 months post operatively.
The content on this page has been authored, edited, or approved by the doctors below, and was last reviewed for accuracy on October 8, 2025.
Dr Vedant Vaksha MD
I am Vedant Vaksha, Fellowship trained Spine, Sports and Arthroscopic Surgeon at Complete Orthopedics. I take care of patients with ailments of the neck, back, shoulder, knee, elbow and ankle. I personally approve this content and have written most of it myself.
Please take a look at my full profile page and don’t hesitate to come in and talk.
