Abstract
Craniocervical stabilization using the occipital condyle can be a valid option to occipital plating. This chapter aims to describe the surgical technique using polyaxial screw and rod constructs with two illustrative cases. We reviewed our experience with patients treated with OC fusion with condylar fixation and summarized the key aspects of the procedure, in order to appropriately place an occipital condyle screw. Patient positioning and use of intraoperative navigation and fluoroscopy aid the surgeon in the appropriate and safe placement of instrumentation. We detail our best trajectory for screw placement and also detail potential pitfalls to be aware of preoperatively. In conclusion, instrumentation via occipital condylar screws is a feasible alternative to occipital plating that we found to also be biomechanically similar to occipital plating.
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Raffa, S.J., Uribe, J. (2019). Occipital Condyle Screw Placement for Occipitocervical Fixation. In: Koller, H., Robinson, Y. (eds) Cervical Spine Surgery: Standard and Advanced Techniques. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93432-7_32
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93432-7_32
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-93431-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-93432-7
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