[Traumatic and posttraumatic lesions of the cranio-vertebral junction (author's transl)].

Trauma of the cranio-vertebral junction does not only cause osseous and ligamentous injuries but also nervous and vascular damage. The peculiar structure of these joints and trauma by hyperextension as well as forced bending of the spinal cord provoke distorsion, dislocations and fractures of atlas and axis as well as occipital condyles. A radiographic examination of these lesions must be minute and tomography and functional tests employed. Post-traumatic, neurologic and vascular complications are often the cause for acute and chronic bulbo-medullary alterations.