A cervical myelopathy due to invaginated laminae of the axis into the spinal canal.

STUDY DESIGN: A case report and review of previous literature are presented. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this manuscript was to report a case of cervical myelopathy due to anomalous laminae of the axis in a patient with spina bifida. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: In previous studies, few cases of invaginated anomalous laminae of the axis have been reported. Treatment was surgical removal of the invaginated laminae. METHODS: The patient's history, clinical examination, imaging findings, and treatment were reported. RESULTS: Characteristic findings were revealed from imaging studies, a multiplane reconstruction of the CT images, and a stereolithographic model of the cervical spine. The patient was treated with a posterior decompressive operation. The outcome was satisfactory, with an improvement in the patient's neurology. CONCLUSIONS: This is a report of a rare characteristic anomaly of the laminae of the axis. A multiplane reconstruction of the CT images and a stereolithographic model were useful for treatment of this case. Possible causes of this anomaly may be the failure of ossification or fusion of the embryological term.