ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Neurol.
Sec. Pediatric Neurology
Clinical Significance of Measuring the Lateral Atlantodental Interval in Children with Tic Disorders
Provisionally accepted
- 1Second Clinical Medical College, Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
- 2The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
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Background: The pathophysiology and causation of tic disorders (TD) remain unclear. Clinically, children wth TD with head and neck tics, trunk tics, often showing associated spinal abnormalities, may be closely related to the atlantoaxial joint. The purpose of this research is to assess the level of lateral atlantodental interval (LADI) in children with TD and to explore the correlation between TD and the asymmetry of bilateral LADI, Methods: The variance in the bilateral lateral atlantodental interval (VBLADI) level was investigated in a retrospective analysis of 80 children with TD between July 2021 and December 2024. Meanwhile, examining the correlation between tic symptoms and VBLADI levels based on VBLADI ≤2 mm and > 2 mm for grouping. Results: The mean VBLADI among children with TD was 1.32 mm (range: 0.62–2.19 mm). A robust and statistically significant association was identified between head shaking and VBLADI > 2.2 mm, even after adjusting for potential confounders and correcting for multiple comparisons (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 12.64; FDR q-value = 0.035). However, no linear correlation was observed between VBLADI levels and the total Yale Global Tic Severity Scale score (p = 0.780). Conclusions: Asymmetry in the bilateral LADI is associated with TD symptoms, particularly head shaking. Nonetheless, VBLADI levels do not correlate with the overall severity of TD.
Keywords: Tic Disorders, Lateral atlantodental interval, asymmetry, tic symptoms, Radiology
Received: 18 Feb 2025; Accepted: 07 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Peng, Peng, Huang, Lu, Chen, Zhang and Liang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Beiru Peng, beijiajiapeng@163.com
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