Type:
Educational Exhibit
Keywords:
Trauma, MR, CT, Conventional radiography, Neuroradiology spine
Authors:
P. Nsiah-Sarbeng, A. Gontsarova, P. Bhogal, T. Wilhelm; London/UK
DOI:
10.1594/ecr2011/C-1740
Conclusion
As the elderly population increases and becomes more active,
the prevalence of such age group presenting with cervical spine injuries also increases.
Unlike the younger age group,
significant injury to the cervical spine may result from minor blunt trauma such fall from seated or standing height.
Cervical spine trauma are most common in the C1/2 and C4/5 (hyperextension injuries) regions and are often more than one level.
In a large proportion of patients these injuries are highly unstable resulting in high morbidity and mortality.
Clinical evaluation and imaging of the cervical spine in the elderly is usually hampered by altered physiological and mental status and associated finding such spondylosis in the aged spine that may obscure the signs of trauma.
This justifies low threshold for cross-sections imaging in the elderly presenting with low impact acute cervical spine injury.
CT is a useful screening tool for patients with high probability of acute cervical injury,
however MRI is the most important for evaluating spinal cord injuries in such injuries.