Cervical myelopathy due to atlantoaxial and subaxial subluxation in rheumatoid arthritis.

Four patients aged 41 to 73 years, who had had rheumatoid arthritis for eight to 25 years, had signs and symptoms of cervical myelopathy and radiculopathy due to either atlantoaxial dislocation with herniation of the odontoid through the foramen magnum, or subluxation of the middle to lower cervical vertebrae. Spastic paraparesis or quadriparesis, severe nuchal immobility and pain, and flaccid paresis of the upper limbs necessitated anterior medullary decompression and posterior cervical fusion. Postmortem examination disclosed old ischemic necrosis, atrophy, and gliosis in the low medulla and cervical cord. Anterior and posterior gray horns and contiguous posterior and lateral funiculi bore the brunt of the damage. Ascending and descending wallerian degeneration and atrophy of the cervical nerve root were evident. In three cases, anterior spinal or radicular arteries demonstrated intimal fibrosis with moderate stenosis; two cases depicted chronic phlebitis or subarachnoid vessels. Previous reports have infrequently provided evidence of a vasculopathy.