Infantile atlantooccipital instability. The potential danger of extreme extension
F. H. Gilles, M. Bina and A. Sotrel
During early infancy, adventitious sliding and slipping movements between
the vertebral column and skull are possible in the cadaver. In ten of 17
infants, the posterior arch of the atlas inverted through the foramen
magnum during extension of the head on the atlas, resulting in the anatomic
potential of bilateral vertebral artery compression. These anatomic
conditions may be the basis for a chain of events that contributes to death
in some neonates and infants with conventioanl diseases and may be one
source of unanticipated death.
