Infection of the cervical spine x ray
These nerves serve the muscles, skin and tissues of the body and thus provide sensation and movement to all parts of the body. The spinal cord is bathed in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and surrounded by three protective layers called the meninges ( dura, arachnoid, and pia mater).Īt each vertebral level, a pair of spinal nerves exit through small openings called foraminae (one to the left and one to the right). This space, called the spinal canal, is the area through which the spinal cord and nerve bundles pass. These discs allow the spine to move freely and act as shock absorbers during activity.Īttached to the back of each vertebral body is an arch of bone that forms a continuous hollow longitudinal space, which runs the whole length of the back. The cervical spine (neck region) consists of seven bones ( C1-C7 vertebrae), which are separated from one another by intervertebral discs. The management of patients with cervical spine trauma in the absence of obvious osseous injury on standard radiographs should warrant a computed tomography (CT) scan if clinically indicated.Ĭervical spine fractures Cervical spine injuries Lateral cervical spine radiographs Soft tissue measurements.The neck is part of a long flexible column, known as the spinal column or backbone, which extends through most of the body. They, therefore, do not offer any further value in interpreting traumatic cervical spine radiographs. Both commonly used measures of soft tissue shadows in clinical practice are insensitive in identifying patients with significant osseous injuries. There is no significant difference between the soft tissue shadows when comparing patients with and without cervical spine fractures on lateral radiographs. The sensitivity and specificity for method 1 was 7.6 and 93 %, and for method 2, they were 7.6 and 98 %, respectively. Both methods failed to identify any significant differences between the two groups. Thirty-nine patients in group 1 were compared to a control group of 60 patients in group 2. The prevertebral soft tissue shadows were measured at referenced points on the lateral cervical spine films with respect to the above two methods and comparisons between the groups were made. Patients were divided into two groups: group 1-fractures group 2-no fractures. To assess which of the above two methods in assessing cervical spine soft tissue shadows on lateral radiographs is more sensitive in the presence of cervical spine injuries.Ī retrospective analysis of consecutive traumatic cervical spine films performed within a busy trauma tertiary centre over a period of 7 months. The two more commonly used techniques include the 'seven at two and two at seven' rule (method 1) and the ratio of the soft tissues with respect to the vertebral width (method 2).
Many methods are used to assess the prevertebral soft tissue shadows. They can provide information on subtle injuries that may not be obvious. Soft tissue assessment forms an integral component of these radiographs. Lateral plain radiographs remain the primary investigation in the assessment of these injuries. Traumatic neck pain is a common presentation to the emergency department.