Congenital osseous anomalies of the upper and lower cervical spine in children

Mutations of homeobox genes may be responsible for congenital osseous anomalies of the cervical spine. Congenital osseous anomalies of the cervical spine may herald congenital malformations of other organ systems, such as those of the kidney and heart. Most congenital anomalies of the cervical spine are innocuous and may go undetected throughout life. Translational instability of adjacent vertebral bodies in a congenitally stenotic cervical spinal canal has serious implications. No existing prognostic classification system can predict which patients with a congenital osseous anomaly of the cervical spine are at risk for future neurologic injury.