Occipital condyle fractures: report of five cases and literature review

Occipital condyle fractures (OCFs) are uncommon and potentially fatal lesions. After the advent of CT, prompt diagnosis can be readily made and consequently better prognosis of these patients is expected. Early recognition of some types of OCF is imperative to avoid fatal results. We analyzed 121 cases of OCF (116 from the literature and five of our own). Rarely patients with a deficit of the lower cranial nerves make a complete recovery. However, quoad vitam prognosis of patients with “pure OCFs” remains good. Immobilization provides good recovery of most OCFs, but delay of treatment can lead to serious morbidity. We want to emphasize that not only an OCF with instability of O–C1–C2 can be a fatal injury unless prompt surgical intervention, but a displacement and migration of the fractured condylar fragment can also result in a fatal outcome. A high level of suspicion is fundamental for the early diagnosis of these fractures, so that when a posterior basal cranial or occipital squama fracture occurs, a CT study of the occipital condyles becomes imperative.