Occipital condyle fracture presenting as retropharyngeal hematoma

Occipital Condyle Trauma

“…Therefore CT is the best imaging modality for OCF, but in patients with normal CT imaging and suspected ligamentous injury, MRI is the imaging modality of choice. [35][36][37][38][39][40][41] A multitude of radiographic methods and criteria have been published for the diagnosis of OCD but they can be confusing and difficult to remember. The author prefers to use a simple method based on the technique described by Harris et al, 42 and uses this in conjunction with the clinical findings to obtain the most appropriate diagnostic studies.…”

Computed tomography and three-dimensional reconstruction in the evaluation of occipital condyle fracture

“…They may complain of pain or tenderness located in the base of the occiput or high cervical spine [1,4,5,[7][8][9][10]. However, lack of pain does not exclude the possibility of injury [6]. The patient may have a torticollis or stiff neck [3,9].…”

“…On occasion, however, a hematoma due to the condylar fracture can dissect caudally, producing a cervical prevertebral tissue soft tissue thickening [6,10]. Rarely, the hematoma can dissect cranially, forming an extradural hematoma which can produce a mass effect on the brain stem [2].…”

Delayed glossopharyngeal and vagus nerve paralysis following occipital condyle fracture

“…Therefore, the use of computerized tomography (CT) is vital to obtain an accurate evaluation. 5,16,19 We describe the case of a man who developed isolated glossopharyngeal and vagus nerve paralysis several days after suffering a closed head injury. A depressed fracture of the occipital condyle was diagnosed using CT scans.…”