Türk Nöroşirürji Dergisi 2015 , Vol 25 , Num 2
Upper Cervical and Craniovertebral Junction Injuries in Children
Serkan KİTİŞ1, Feyza KARAGÖZ GÜZEY2, Serdar ÇEVİK1
1Bezmialem Üniversitesi, Tıp Fakültesi, Nöroşirürji Anabilim Dalı, İstanbul, Türkiye
2Bağcılar Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, Nöroşirürji Kliniği, İstanbul, Türkiye
Upper cervical spine injuries are rarely seen in children but are associated with serious mortality and morbidity. Upper cervical spine injuries are more frequent in children than adults and also in little children than older ones due to the pediatric anatomy and biomechanics. Special radiological characteristics of the spine and an unsatisfactory history, especially in very young children, make cervical spine pathologies difficult to diagnose and classify in pediatric groups. In addition to diagnostic difficulties, anatomic and biomechanical differences in children cause different treatment approaches for pediatric cervical traumas when compared with their adult counterparts. The patient’s unique anatomy and the potential to mature should be considered during treatment scheme planning.

We discuss the diagnosis and treatment approaches of upper cervical and craniovertebral junction traumas in children in this review. Anahtar Kelimeler : Cervical spine, Craniovertebral junction, Pediatric upper cervical injury, Trauma