Progressive atlanto-axial subluxation in Behcet’s disease

Abstract

Behcet's disease is a chronic inflammatory condition involving several organs, such as the skin, mucous membranes, eyes, joints, intestines, lungs and central nervous system. It rarely affects the spinal column. We describe a case of progressive atlanto-axial subluxation in a 44-year-old woman with Behcet's disease. The patient started complaining of posterior neck pain 10 years after the diagnosis of her Behcet's disease. Initial radiographs showed no abnormal finding, but follow-up radiographs 6 month later demonstrated atlanto-axial subluxation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the second reported case in the worldwide literature of an atlanto-axial instability in a patient with Behcet's disease.

Axial Spondyloarthritis: Mimics and Pitfalls of Imaging Assessment

“…In the axial skeleton, prevalence of sacroiliitis in patients with Behçet disease is controversial-some authors report a higher prevalence while others found that there is no significant difference when compared to healthy controls (158,159). Anecdotal reports have described other forms of axial skeleton involvement, such as atlanto-axial subluxation and instability (160).…”