Atlantoaxial Instability Resulting in Intractable Nausea in a Person with C5 Complete Spinal Cord Injury: A Case Report

Abstract

Individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) have altered neurophysiology and present with symptoms that must be interpreted in the context of their specific neurologic injury. This is a case of a 16‐year‐old female adolescent with C5 American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale A SCI who presented with intractable nausea. Multiple etiologies for her nausea, including medication effect, metabolic and gastrointestinal disorders, autonomic dysreflexia, and mood disorder, were systematically ruled out. Due to the persistence of the patient's symptoms and suboptimal progression in her rehabilitation, a central nervous system etiology was investigated. Ultimately, atlantoaxial instability with odontoid compression on the medulla was identified and her refractory nausea resolved following an occiput to C2 fusion. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of atlantoaxial instability causing intractable nausea due to brain stem compression in a patient with SCI. Level of Evidence: V