[Post-traumatic torticollis in a schoolchild: fracture, congenital anomaly or age-appropriate radiological findings of the atlas?].

We describe the case of a 6-year-old girl with post-traumatic torticollis after falling on her head. The suspected fractures of the dens axis and/or atlas were ruled out after performing CT and MRI examinations as well as dynamic fluoroscopy. Radiological findings showed no further instability but there was a congenital non-fusion of the posterior arch and an age-appropriate non-fused anterior arch of the atlas. In addition to discoligamental injuries and fractures, congenital anomalies and normal variants of the immature anatomy of the cervical spine should also be considered in the diagnosis of the pediatric cervical spine after trauma.