Rare atlas fracture detected using postmortem computed tomography: A case report

We report the autopsy of a traffic accident victim with a rare atlas fracture. The deceased was 52-year-old man found dead on the road because of a traffic accident. We performed a postmortem computed tomography and an autopsy on the body. The sagittal reformation image of postmortem computed tomography showed a vertically separated anterior arch of atlas, suggesting a “horizontal fracture.” Therefore, we assumed that cervical hyperextension may have been one of the forces that affected him during the accident. Minor spinal cord injury was also noted. In this case, postmortem computed tomography played an important role in detecting the spinal cord injury, considering the mechanism of the traffic accident, and supported the autopsy.