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The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 82:1154 (2000)
© 2000 The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc.

Case Report

Odontoid Fracture Associated with a Pharyngeal Tear

A Case Report*

Anton Kathrein, M.D., Alexander Genelin, M.D., Ravi Gupta, M.D. and Christoph Rangger, M.D.

Investigation performed at Universitätsklinik für Unfallchirurgie, Innsbruck, Austria
*No benefits in any form have been received or will be received from a commercial party related directly or indirectly to the subject of this article. No funds were received in support of this study.
Universitätsklinik für Unfallchirurgie, Anichstrasse 35, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria. E-mail address: akathrein@yahoo.com (A. Kathrein).


   Introduction
 
Pharyngeal perforation is a rare and serious injury. Infection of the surrounding anatomical structures may occur due to contamination of the oral cavity. Therefore, immediate diagnosis and subsequent treatment appear to be essential.

We present the case of a patient who sustained an odontoid fracture that was associated with a pharyngeal perforation. The pharyngeal injury was not noted initially, although the clinical findings, preoperative radiographs, and computed tomography scans suggested a pharyngeal tear. To our knowledge, such an injury has not been reported previously. Nevertheless, in a patient with a fracture of the cervical spine and bleeding from the mouth, pharyngeal perforation should be considered.


   Case Report
 
A thirty-eight-year-old man sustained head trauma following a mountain-bike accident. The patient sought medical care one day after the injury. He reported bleeding from the nose and mouth and complained of increasing neck pain. Clinical evaluation revealed no neurological deficits. Anteroposterior and lateral radiographs of . . . [Full Text of this Article]


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