BACKGROUND Although the vertebral artery injuries (VAI) associated with cervical spine trauma are usually clinically occult, they may cause fatal ischemic damage to the brain stem and cerebellum. METHODS We performed a prospective study using computed tomographic angiography (CTA) to determine the frequency of VAI associated with cervical spine injuries and investigate the clinical and radiol...

Cervical spine surgery is one of the most commonly performed spine surgeries in the United States, and 90% of the cases are related to degenerative cervical spine disease (the rest to cervical spine trauma and/or instability). The airway management for cervical spine surgery represents a crucial step in the anesthetic management to avoid injury to the cervical cord. The crux for upper airway ma...

o bjective: to describe the epidemiological characteristics of patients with cervical spine injury admitted to rajaee hospital, shiraz, iran. m e thods: this cross-sectional study includes all patients admitted with impression of cervical column injury with or without cervical cord injury from october 2009 to march 2012 to our level i trauma center in shiraz. we recorded the patients’ character...

INTRODUCTION The diagnosis of cervical spine injuries remains a significant problem in many blunt trauma patients. Correct and early diagnosis of these injuries is imperative as delayed or missed diagnoses result in increased morbidity and mortality. CASE PRESENTATION A 57-year-old Caucasian woman presented with a misdiagnosed bilateral C5-C6 dislocation one month after a fall and head injury...

PURPOSE To investigate the cost-effectiveness of computed tomography (CT) relative to radiography for cervical spine screening in trauma patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS A decision analysis model was constructed to compare the incremental cost-effectiveness of radiography and CT as primary cervical spine screening modalities in trauma patients. Analyses were performed from a societal perspecti...

Blunt cerebrovascular injuries (i.e. involvement of carotid and vertebral arteries) are increasingly being recognized in setting of cervical spine trauma/fractures and are associated with high incidence of stroke/morbidity and mortality. The incidence of vertebral artery injuries (VAI) is more common than previously thought and regular screening is seldom performed. However there exists no scre...

AIM Identifying cervical spine injuries in confused or comatose patients with multiple injuries provides a diagnostic challenge. Our aim was to investigate the protocols which are used for the clearance of the cervical spine in these patients in English hospitals. PATIENTS AND METHODS All hospitals in England with an Emergency Department were asked about the protocols which they use for asses...

sustain traumatic brain injuries due to blunt force trauma. Cervical spinal injury should be suspected in any trauma patient with loss of consciousness. All of the following patients should undergo a radiographic search for a cervical spinal injury: patients who present awake with neck pain or tenderness, patients with a neurologic deficit, patients who have sustained a traumatic brain injury, ...

DIAGNOSTIC STANDARDS There is insufficient evidence to support diagnostic standards. GUIDELINES In children who have experienced trauma and are alert, conversant, have no neurological deficit, no midline cervical tenderness, and no painful distracting injury, and are not intoxicated, cervical spine x-rays are not necessary to exclude cervical spine injury and are not recommended. In childr...

BACKGROUND Cervical spine trauma occurs mostly among young males due to falls and car accidents. The CT scan technology is replacing radiography in many medical clinics as it is very capable in detecting subtle cervical spine injuries. However, the use of CT scan for routine screening in patients with cervical spine trauma remains controversial due to its radiation risks and relatively high cos...