This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Aetiology

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The aetiology of cervical spondylolisthesis involves:

  • congenital non-fusion of the dens with the axis - the dens and axis are attached only by fibrous tissue. The fibrous band slowly stretches allowing the dens, and with it, the atlas and skull, to slide gradually forwards.

  • inflammatory softening of the transverse ligament of the axis - due to an inflammatory lesion in the upper part of the neck, for example, in rheumatoid arthritis, or to infection of the throat or glands. This permits the atlas to slide forwards upon the axis.

  • instability from rheumatoid arthritis or previous injury

  • traumatic spondylolisthesis - fracture through the pars interarticularis, especially, C2.

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.