Longer-Term Outcomes of XXXX .

@entity1 @entity174 @entity602 @entity158 @entity717 @entity204
INTRODUCTION: Longer-term outcomes of @entity1 with geriatric type II odontoid @entity174 nonunion remain unclear. METHODS: Thirty-four consecutive geriatric @entity1 (>70 years old) with minimally displaced (<50% displacement) @entity174 were treated 24 hours a day for 12 weeks with rigid collar immobilization between the years 2003 and 2011. Radiographic and medical record reviews were performed on all 34 @entity1 . Additionally, 7 @entity1 were available for clinical longer-term follow-up (>4 years). RESULTS: In all, 30 (88%) of the 34 @entity1 had nonunion after 12 weeks of treatment, 2 (6%) @entity1 had union, and 2 (6%) @entity1 died during the first 12 weeks. Twenty-one of the 30 @entity1 with nonunion had a displaced or mobile nonunion (70%), and 4 (12%) @entity1 were lost to follow-up. At longer-term follow-up, 23 (68%) @entity1 had died. The average time @entity204 occurred was 3.8 years with a range of 0.17 years to 9.42 years postinjury. Twenty of the 23 @entity204 were attributed to medical comorbidities not related to the @entity1 's odontoid nonunion. We were unable to determine the cause of @entity204 in 3 @entity1 . None of the @entity1 who died had identifiable clinical @entity602 prior to their @entity204 on chart review. Of the 7 @entity1 who were alive, all were determined to have odontoid nonunion, of which 5 (70%) were mobile odontoid nonunion. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and @entity717 ( @entity717 ) scores were low (VAS averaged 0.57 and @entity717 averaged 6.9%) and treatment satisfaction was high (averaged 9.7 of 10). Scores for @entity158 and function did not differ significantly when compared to age-matched controls (P = .08, t test). CONCLUSION: Rates of odontoid nonunion are high in @entity1 with @entity174 that are treated with continuous rigid collar for 12 weeks. The majority of @entity1 with nonunion appear to achieve high functional outcomes. In this study, mortality did not appear to be related to adverse neurologic events after treatment.
