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Plain radiograph sensitivity capable of identifying cervical spine injury in pediatric patients
Plain radiographs are sensitive enough to be used for the detection of bony or ligamentous cervical spine injury in a pediatric cohort, according to researchers in Boston.
The researchers identified a cohort of 206 children 16 years old or younger who sustained blunt trauma-related ligamentous or bony cervical spine injury and received treatment at a Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network hospital between 2000 and 2004, according to the study abstract. Investigators assessed radiology reports, assigning each one a film adequacy score as well as a cervical spine injury classification (definite, possible or no injury).
“A pediatric neurosurgeon, blinded to the classification of the radiology reports, reviewed complete case histories and assigned final cervical spine injury type,” the authors wrote.
According to the study abstract, definite cervical spinal injury was identified with plain radiograph in 127 patients, with possible injury being identified in 41 patients — for an overall sensitivity of 90%. The authors wrote that radiographs were unable to identify cervical spine fractures in 15 children and ligamentous injury in 3 children.
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Nigrovic LE. Ped Emerg Care. 2012. doi: 10.1097/PEC.0b013e3182531911