Occipitocervical arthrodesis in children. A new technique and analysis of results.

A new wiring technique for occipitocervical arthrodesis was used in sixteen consecutive children between 1985 and 1992. The twelve boys and four girls had an average age of nine years and six months (range, two years and five months to nineteen years and three months) at the operation. The arthrodesis was performed between the occiput and the second cervical vertebra in ten patients and between the occiput and the third cervical vertebra in six. The instability was related to congenital anomalies (six patients), decompression for cervical stenosis (four patients), Down syndrome (three patients), trauma (one patient), resection of a tumor (one patient), and neurofibromatosis (one patient). Six patients needed a laminectomy for decompression because of cervical stenosis or for removal of a tumor. All of the patients were managed with an autogenous bone graft from the iliac crest and postoperative immobilization with a halo device. Fusion was achieved in fifteen of the sixteen patients. Complications developed in seven patients. The use of wire fixation, combined with the inherent stability of the bone-graft construct, allowed for removal of the halo device relatively early (range, six to twelve weeks), before the fusion was fully mature. No graft was displaced. All of the patients were followed at least until there was radiographic evidence of fusion (fifteen patients) or until a reoperation was performed (one patient). The average duration of follow-up was thirty-seven months (range, twelve to 108 months).