Injuries of the vertebral artery are rare and are usually seen after penetrating or blunt cervical trauma. Vertebral artery injuries (VAI) have been reported in 0.5% of blunt trauma cases. These injuries can lead to hemorrhage, thrombosis, arteriovenous fistula or traumatic pseudoaneurysm in the early or late period. They must be treated carefully due to their increased risk of morbidity and mo...

Injuries to the cervical spine occur in 2.0 to 6.6% of blunt trauma patients, with the co-existence of head injury increasing the incidence of cervical spine injury to 10%. Injury to the cervical spinal cord in the absence of fracture occurs in 0.07 to 0.7% of trauma admissions. Missed or delayed diagnosis of cervical spine injury occurs in 4 to 8% of patients, whereas for the whole spine, miss...

A 34-year-old female patient reported with a chief complaint of cervical erosion and discoloration of upper maxillary central incisor with the history of trauma a week before. The patient said the tooth showed a pink spot on the crown at the cervical area 36 hours after the trauma, with no symptoms. Few days before she observed the erosion of the enamel at the same area, since it become a cavit...

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...

Long-standing ankylosing spondylitis may predispose a patient to serious cervical injury in the setting of minor trauma. Early diagnosis is essential to a favorable outcome. We report a 75-year-old man whose relatively minor trauma in the setting of AS resulted in a cervical fracture and callus formation, which masqueraded as a tumor. The patient developed neck pain, bilateral hypoglossal nerve...

Most cases of neurological deterioration after laminectomy for cervical radiculomyelopathy occur several weeks to months postoperatively, except when there has been direct trauma to the spinal cord or nerve roots during surgery. Four patients are described who developed episodes of neurological deterioration during the postoperative recovery period that could not be attributed to direct intraop...

Percutaneous tracheostomy (PCT) is a safe method under proper patient selection, increased technical experience and bronchoscopy- or ultrasound-guided procedure. Trauma patients with cervical spine fractures and spinal cord injury are at a high risk for respiratory failure and require a definitive airway followed by prolonged mechanical ventilation. We would like to present multiple, life- thre...

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...

A case report of a 63-year-old female patient with a cervical spinal dural diverticulum and intracranial hypotension secondary to a symptomatic CSF leak after minor trauma. The patient responded well after the cervical approach epidural blood patch procedure.

OBJECTIVE To, assess the emergency department use of cervical spine radiography for alert, stable adult trauma patients in terms of utilization, yield for injury and variation in practices among hospitals and physicians. DESIGN Retrospective survey of health records. SETTING Emergency departments of 6 teaching and 2 community hospitals in Ontario and British Columbia. PATIENTS Consecutive...