STUDY DESIGN This is a retrospective study. PURPOSE We wanted to investigate the clinical relevance of the lumbar high intensity zone (HIZ) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the relationship of trauma history to internal disc disruption (IDD). OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE HIZs on lumbar spine (L-spine) MRI have been suggested as a reliable marker of IDD by some authors. The prevalence and t...

BACKGROUND CONTEXT The current approach to the evaluation and treatment of military casualties in the Global War on Terror is informed by medical experience from prior conflicts and combat encounters from the last 10 years. In an effort to standardize the care provided to military casualties in the ongoing conflicts, the Department of Defense (DoD) has published Clinical Practice Guidelines (CP...

BACKGROUND Congenital spinal abnormalities can easily be misdiagnosed on plain radiographs. Additional imaging is warranted in doubtful cases, especially in a setting of acute trauma. CASE PRESENTATION This patient presented at the emergency unit of our university hospital after a motor vehicle accident and was sent to our radiology department for imaging of the cervical spine. Initial clinic...

BACKGROUND Pediatric spinal trauma is rare and challenging entity. Although cervical spine is commonly affected, it is often missed on routine imaging investigations. Therefore better understanding of growing spine and its patho-physiology is crucial. METHODS Articles related to pediatric cervical trauma were searched on Pubmed and other online research data banks. We have summarized unique a...

Cervical spine assessment is an important step in patients who sustained trauma. Klippel-Feil syndrome (KFS) a complex with abnormal fusion of cervical vertebrae at C2 and C3, which caused by failure the division or normal segmentation early fetal development. This condition leads to characteristic appearance short neck, low hairline, facial asymmetry, limited neck mobility. People congenital d...

Cervical spine injury occurs in 5-10% of cases of blunt polytrauma. A missed or delayed diagnosis of cervical spine injury may be associated with permanent neurological sequelae. However, there is no consensus about the ideal evaluation and management of the potentially injured cervical spine and, despite the publication of numerous clinical guidelines, this issue remains controversial. In addi...

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...

Spine immobilization in trauma patients suspected of having a spinal injury has been a cornerstone of prehospital treatment for decades. Current practices are based on the belief that a patient with an injured spinal column can deteriorate neurologically without immobilization. Most treatment protocols do not differentiate between blunt and penetrating mechanisms of injury. Current Emergency Me...

Historical perceptions regarding the severity of traumatic spinal cord injury has led to considerable disparity in triage to tertiary care centers. This article retrospectively reviews a large regional trauma database to analyze whether the diagnosis of spinal trauma affected patient transfer timing and patterns. The Pennsylvania Trauma database was retrospectively reviewed. All acute trauma pa...