[Results of the surgical treatment of atlantoaxial instability].

Background: Instability of the cervical spine is defined as an increase in flexibility farther than the physiological limits of one vertebra over another in some of its axes, conditioning symptoms for the patient. Traumatic, degenerative, metabolic and neoplastic causes have all been identified.

Methods: A retrospective, longitudinal, observational and descriptive study was carried out on patients surgically intervened specifically for atlantoaxial instability from January 1993 to May 2002, with a minimum 5-year follow-up.

[Surgical treatment of craniocervical instability. Review paper].

The concept of spinal instability is still controversial. Anatomical, biomechanical, clinical and radiographic variants are involved and make the definition complicated. There are solid diagnostic bases in cases of fractures and degenerative disorders; however, pure spinal instability is still under study.