A Pictorial Review of Spinal Trauma: Part 2

Trauma is a frequent cause of visits to the emergency department with blunt trauma making up approximately 40% of all visits and penetrating trauma making up approximately 12% of all visits. Despite increased imaging utilization, including cross-sectional imaging, injuries to the spine are often missed; spinal cord injuries are missed in 4% to 9% of patients. Knowledge of common fracture patterns and mechanisms of injury is crucial to reducing the miss rate and making an accurate and timely diagnosis. In the first part of this 2-part series (vol 47 no 21), subaxial and thoracolumbar spine fracture patterns were reviewed. This second part of the series reviews upper cervical spine fracture patterns and cervical spine anatomy. Important pitfalls/mimics of both upper cervical and subaxial and thoracolumbar spinal trauma are also discussed.