Incidental Os Odontoideum in an Adolescent Athlete With Sports-Related Concussion

Sports-related concussion (SRC) is a frequent injury in the adolescent population with presentation including a wide array of signs and symptoms. There are no universally agreed upon guidelines for when to pursue advanced imaging, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in the workup of SRCs in the adolescent population. Our experience indicates that MRI rarely contributes to management. This case report highlights a rare finding of os odontoideum on MRI imaging in an adolescent female soccer player in the setting of treatment of an SRC that altered the course of her clinical management.

Automated summary

This article reports a rare finding of os odontoideum on MRI imaging in an adolescent female soccer player, which altered her clinical management. There is currently no consensus on whether further imaging studies are needed in adolescents with SRC.