Vertebral injuries: detection and implications

Vertebral injuries occur in a predictable and reproducible manner that is dependent upon the a mechanism of injury. Each mechanism of injury leaves distinct imaging 'fingerprints' regardless of the locution in the spine. This chapter will discuss four areas: the mechanisms of injury and their imagine 'fingerprints': abnormalities of alignment and anatomy, bony integrity, cartilage or joint spore, and soft tissues-the ABCS of injure: the imaging features that will indicate stability of the spine following injury: and the classification of spine injuries into two categories 'major' or 'minor'. The a imaging features described in this chapter apply to both radiography us well us to computed tomography (CT). Although helical CT is being used mare commonly for the evaluation of suspected cervical injuries. radiography of the entire spine remains the standard. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.