Isolated condylar fractures diagnosed by post mortem computed tomography

Abstract

Due to their anatomical location, occipital condylar fractures (OCFs) are usually not observed during traditional autopsies and are therefore considered a rare injury. The aim of this study was to determine the true frequency of OCFs using post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT) in traumatic casualties. We retrospectively analyzed 438 PMCT studies of victims of traffic accidents, falls from height, violence, and low-energy head injuries (324 males and 114 females). OCFs were present in 22.6% of cases (n = 99), mostly in victims of railway accidents (48.5%, n = 17), falls from height (26.6%, n =29),cyclists(24%,n = 6), and pedestrians hit by cars (22.5%, n = 29). Isolated OCFs were found in 5.5% of cases (n = 24), most often in cyclists (12%, n =3) and pedestrians (9.3%, n = 12) hit by cars. There were no OCFs in the cases of fatalities caused by violence or accidental low-energy head injury. PMCT scans revealed that OCFs are common in high-energy injury fatalities and can be useful for determining the mechanism of trauma more precisely.