A surgical case of C1 arch stenosis: A case report and review of literature

Isolated symptomatic cervical stenosis of the atlas is quite rare; there have been 11 cases reported in literature. A 76-year-old male presented with myelopathy attributed to C1 arch stenosis. Neuroimaging studies revealed posterior atlas compression of the spinal cord. Following a cervical laminectomy involving excision of the arch of the atlas, and the patient's symptoms resolved. C1 stenosis resulting in cervical myelopathy due to posterior compression from the arch of the atlas is easily missed. Notably, C1 arch laminectomy may be very effective in resolving this entity.