J Korean Soc Radiol.  2011 Jul;65(1):85-87. 10.3348/jksr.2011.65.1.85.

Atlantoaxial Ankylosis Detected on Neck CT Scans in a Patient with Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Case Report

• Lee JA
• Lee S
• Joo KB
• Ryu JA
• Kim TH

• KMID: 1443498
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3348/jksr.2011.65.1.85

Abstract

Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory disorder of unknown cause that principally affects the axial skeleton. The cervical spine is also vulnerable to this disease process and the characteristic feature of cervical involvement is atlantoaxial subluxation. However, only a few cases of atlantoaxial ankylosis have been reported to date. We report a case of atlantoaxial ankylosis in a patient with ankylosing spondylitis with radiologic findings incidentally detected on neck CT scans.

MeSH Terms

Ankylosis
Atlanto-Axial Joint
Humans
Neck
Skeleton
Spine
Spondylitis, Ankylosing

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 A. A lateral radiograph of the cervical spine with full flexion showed bony ankylosis of the atlantoaxial joint space (arrows). B, C. An axial CT scan (B) and a midsaggital multiplanar reformatted CT image (C) revealed that the synovial joint space was filled with dense ossified substance (arrows). The distance between posterior margin of the anterior arch of atlas and anterior margin of the odontoid was 2 mm.

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