Craniovertebral junction instability may be congenital or secondary to a trauma or destructive lesion, such as infection or tumor. Defects in embryogenesis that occurs in the 3rd and 4th week of gestation can cause CVJ anomalies.
In patients with primary or metastatic tumor of the CVJ, OC stabilization using a cervical screw-rod system affixed to a midline-keel buttress plate, with or without posterior decompression, is a reliable method for CVJ stabilization in the oncologic setting. Improvement in pain and preservation of neurological function was seen 1).