Short neck

Introduction Short neck deformity refers to the fusion of two or more cervical vertebrae, which is characterized by a decrease in the number of cervical vertebrae, shortening of the neck, limited movement of the head and neck, and often accompanied by deformities in other parts, and a small number of patients may be associated with neurological disorders. The patient's neck is shorter than normal, the occipital hairline is reduced, and head movement is limited. Cervical dysplasia can be a fusion of all cervical vertebrae or several cervical vertebrae, but also a local fusion of vertebral bodies, lamina, vertebral arches and spinous processes.

Cause

This cervical malformation can be a fusion of all cervical vertebrae or several cervical vertebrae, and can also be a local fusion of vertebral bodies, lamina, vertebral arches and spinous processes. The cause of the deformity is not clear. It is generally believed that during the development of the embryo, the mesenchymal tissue development disorder of the intervertebral disc should be formed. When the vertebral endplate matures, the intervertebral disc or cartilage does not occur until the ossification, forming a fusion between the vertebral bodies. A small number of congenital cervical fusions are related to heredity.

an examination

Related inspection

MRI examination of mammography

Congenital cervical fusion malformation has three major clinical features: short neck, posterior hairline, and limited neck activity. But not all patients have the above characteristics, Gray et al believe that only 32% of the typical triad.

1. Short and thick neck: often not very obvious, but carefully observe that the neck is shorter than normal. The face is asymmetrical, and the skin on both sides of the neck from the mastoid to the acromion is widened and has a winged neck.

2. After the hairline low level: the main performance is that the post-hairline is significantly lower than the normal person.

3. Limited cervical vertebra activity: Due to the fusion of the vertebral body, the range of motion of the cervical vertebra is obviously limited, and the limitation of rotation and lateral bending is particularly obvious. The multi-segment and full-segment fusion activities are limited, and the single-segment and lower-segment fusions are less obvious.

4. Short neck deformity caused by fusion of the upper cervical vertebrae, often combined with occipital neck deformity, more often in the early stage of neurological symptoms, mainly manifested by spinal cord compression caused by occipital instability.

5. Short neck deformity caused by middle and low cervical fusion, early with no neurological symptoms. With the increase of age, the activity of the upper and lower non-fused cervical segments in the fusion vertebral body increased, and strain and degeneration also occurred. Degenerative changes include vertebral body bone hyperplasia and ligament structure thickening and calcification. The above pathological changes will lead to spinal stenosis, and the buffer space of the cervical spinal epidural space will be reduced. Once a minor trauma is encountered, neurological symptoms can be caused. Therefore, almost all of these patients have obvious neurological symptoms after suffering minor trauma. Its clinical features are light trauma, severe symptoms, can cause quadriplegia, and X-ray examination does not show obvious signs of bone damage.

Differential diagnosis

The disease is characterized by typical symptoms (short neck and posterior hairline) and imaging related examinations. It is not difficult to distinguish from cervical spondylosis.

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