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. 2019 Jan 10;58(9):1371–1372. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.1315-18

Atlantoaxial Rotatory Fixation

Tsuneaki Kenzaka 1,2
PMCID: PMC6543235  PMID: 30626810

An otherwise healthy 18-year-old man collided with an opposing player during a football match and was struck in the face by the back of the other player's head. He received emergency transport to our hospital with a nosebleed and complaints of posterior cervical pain. The patient was lucid, with a blood pressure of 135/98 mmHg and a heart rate of 98 bpm. There were no findings of significant neurological implications, and the nosebleed stopped spontaneously. Cervical computed tomography (CT) revealed that the atlas was fixed in a clockwise-rotated position relative to the axis (Picture 1 shows horizontal slice CT images, Picture 2 shows coronal slices, and Picture 3 shows sagittal slices). The patient was diagnosed with Fielding class 1 (1) atlantoaxial rotatory fixation, and the neck was immobilized with a cervical collar. The patient recovered after 10 days of cervical immobilization.

Picture 1.

Picture 1.

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Picture 2.

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Picture 3.

The author states that he has no Conflict of Interest (COI).

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