Osteomyelitis of the Atlantooccipital Joint in an Intravenous Drug User

by Tiago Ribeiro Barbosa, Paulo Miguel Pereira, Pedro Santos Silva, Pedro Miguel Monteiro, and Rui Manuel Vaz

JBJS Case ConnectVolume 3(4):e101October 9, 2013

©2013 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc.

Preoperative cervical spine radiographs.

Tiago Ribeiro Barbosa et al. JBJS Case Connect 2013;3:e101

©2013 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc.

Cervical spine CT with axial (Figs. 2-A and 2-B), coronal (Fig. 2-C), and sagittal (Fig. 2-D) reconstructions.

Tiago Ribeiro Barbosa et al. JBJS Case Connect 2013;3:e101

©2013 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc.

Cervical spine T2-weighted MRI with sagittal (left) and coronal (right) images demonstrating high-signal intensity of the clivus, occipital condyles, atlas, axis, and the surrounding soft

tissues.

Tiago Ribeiro Barbosa et al. JBJS Case Connect 2013;3:e101

©2013 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc.

The magnetic resonance angiogram shows occlusion of the right vertebral artery at the C1 level, with flow of the basilar artery coming from the left vertebral artery (arrow).

Tiago Ribeiro Barbosa et al. JBJS Case Connect 2013;3:e101

©2013 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc.

Postoperative lateral (left) and anteroposterior (right) cervical spine radiographs.

Tiago Ribeiro Barbosa et al. JBJS Case Connect 2013;3:e101

©2013 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc.