Surgical roadmap for congenital cervical spine abnormalities

Study Design A descriptive study based on medical records of patients with congenital cervical spine abnormalities. Objective The hypothesis of the study was that patients with congenital cervical spine abnormalities could be divided according to the main pathological syndrome. Summary of Background Data Abnormalities of the cervical spine belong to embryopathies and are a very heterogeneous group. The variety of this pathology made it hard to create a general classification based on a morphological approach. Materials Medical records of 68 patients with congenital cervical spine abnormalities were analyzed and were a clinical material for working out the algorithm of their management. Computer tomography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and selective angiography were used to specify the abnormality structure and preoperative planning. Use of functional positioning was an important feature in all these investigations. Various techniques of surgical treatment such as halo, anterior and posterior fusion, decompression of the cerebral, spinal cord and cervical vertebral arteries, revision of the spinal canal, neurolysis, and meningolysis were used in 28 patients aged from 2 to 47 years old. Results All patients were divided according to leading pathological syndromes. Those were instability, stenosis and brain ischemia. Each group had its own important subgroup. The main surgical steps in management of complex congenital anomalies of the cervical spine were bone fusion or (and) decompression of the brain and spinal cord. Conclusions Selection of the main pathological syndrome or combination of syndromes is a simple and effective way for making the right decision when treating patients with congenital cervical spine abnormalities. Syndromic approach can be used for prognosis as well.