Association between advanced degenerative changes of the atlanto-dens joint and presence of dens fracture.

BACKGROUND

Dens fractures in elderly patients are often related to issues associated with aging. We examined the association between degenerative changes of the atlanto-dens joint and the risk of dens fracture.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective study of trauma patients, fifty-five years of age or older, who had undergone a computed tomography scan of the cervical spine as part of their admission to a single level-I trauma center. There were 1794 patients who met the inclusion criteria; scans were evaluated for all fifty-six who presented with a dens fracture and for a random sample of 736 without a dens fracture. Intraosseous cyst formation, synovitis, and joint space narrowing were recorded from the scans. The prevalence of degenerative changes was compared between patients with and patients without a dens fracture.

RESULTS

An intraosseous cyst in the dens was found in 16.4% of the patients without a dens fracture and in 64.3% of those with a fracture (p < 0.001). The dens fracture extended through the existing cyst in twenty-four (66.7%) of thirty-six patients with a cyst and a dens fracture. Retro-dens synovitis was present in 4.2% of the patients without a dens fracture and 25.0% of those with a fracture (p < 0.001). After adjustment for age and sex, both cysts (odds ratio [OR] = 7.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.2 to 14.1) and synovitis (OR = 4.6, 95% CI = 2.1 to 10.0) were significantly associated with dens fracture.

CONCLUSIONS

Intraosseous dens cysts and retro-dens synovitis were associated with dens fracture; those with a dens fracture were nearly eightfold more likely to have an intraosseous cyst and nearly fivefold more likely to have synovitis compared with those without a dens fracture. Because the atlanto-dens joint is a synovial joint, its degeneration can lead to subchondral cyst formation and synovitis and predispose affected individuals to fracture.