Safety, efficacy, surgical, and radiological outcomes of short segment occipital plate and C2 transarticular screw construct for occipito-cervical instability.

Objective: Our study aims to assess the safety, efficacy, clinicoradiological, functional, neurological outcomes, and complications of posterior occipitocervical fixation using an occipital plate and C1-2 transarticular screw (TAS) construct.

Study Design: This was a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data.

Methods: Data of 27 patients who underwent occipital plate and C1-2 TAS construct at a single institute from 2010 to 2015 were collected and analyzed. Demographics, clinical parameters (Visual Analog Score, Oswestry Disability Index, and modified JOA score), radiological parameters - mean atlantodens interval, posterior occipitocervical angle, occipitocervical-2 angle, surgical parameters (operative time, blood loss, hospital stay, and fusion), and complications were evaluated.

Results: The mean age of the patients was 54.074 ± 16.52 years (18-81 years), the mean operative time was 116.29 ± 12.23 min, and the mean blood loss was 196.29 ± 38.94 ml. The mean hospital stay was 5.22 ± 1.28 days. The mean ± standard deviation follow-up duration was 62.52 ± 2.27 months. There was a significant improvement in clinical parameters and radiological parameters postoperatively. One patient with implant failure, one patient with pseudoarthrosis, one with neurological deterioration, two wound complications, and two dural tears were noted.

Conclusion: Posterior occipitocervical reconstruction with O-C1-2 TAS construct provided excellent clinical outcomes, radiological outcomes, optimal correction of malalignment in the occipitocervical region, and with biomechanically sound fixation. Extending the instrumentation into the subaxial spine will lead to a decrease in the range of motion, increased surgical time, blood loss, more extensive muscle damage, and also increase the costs.