Postoperative Immobilization following Occipitocervical Fusion in the Pediatric Population: Outcome Evaluation and Review of Literature

Abstract

The scientific literature does not have a consensus about the role and method of postoperative immobilization after occipitocervical fusion in the pediatric population. The primary goal of this study is to review the medical literature and evaluate different immobilization methods and their impact on fusion, following the surgical management of craniocervical instability in children. It started with an extensive research of randomized controlled trials, series of cases and case reports, describing occipitocervical junction pathologies, clinical, epidemiological characteristics, and treatment. The search was performed using the Pubmed database evaluating all the literature involving postoperative immobilization after occipitocervical fusion in pediatric patients. The results showed that most cases of occipitocervical stabilization were due to congenital spinal instability followed by trauma in most series. The most common type of surgery performed was occipitocervical fusion using screw and rod constructs. The different methods of postoperative immobilization did not affect outcomes. Then, we can conclude that screw-and-rod constructions in occipitocervical fusion augment the rates of fusion, independently from which immobilization was used, even when none was used at all.