The imaging diagnosis of atlantoaxial joint dislocation

Atlantoaxial dislocation is more common in the upper neck trauma, failed to timely diagnosis and treatment often progression, oppressive cervical spinal life-threatening. Daily work, common due to insufficient understanding of imaging findings of atlantoaxial rotatory subluxation and lead to misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis, delay treatment. In view of this, accurate understanding of X-ray and CT manifestations, on five points of lateral atlantodental space, bilateral lateral shape and size in coronary plane, bilateral atlantoaxial lateral space, bilateral lateral joint relations, and atlanto-den-tal interval, of the normal atlantoaxial vertebral neutral position, relative parallel translation and the normal rotation, the atlantoaxial dislocation in various types, help to improve the diagnostic accuracy. (authors)