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Cervical spine injuries to children under 11: should we use radiography more selectively in their initial assessment?
P J E Smart1, P J Hardy, D M G Buckley
1Diagnostic Imaging Directorate, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK. pjesmart@btclick.com
Objectives:
To assess the effectiveness of cervical spine radiography in injured children under 11 years old, and suggest improvements.
Methods:
Retrospective survey of radiographs and accident and emergency records for children examined during a one year period in a large teaching hospital.
Results:
No cervical spine fractures occurred in this age group during the year. The recorded clinical findings did not always justify radiography.
Conclusions:
Clinical examination appears undervalued by those assessing injured children and is poorly recorded. Radiography can be used more selectively. Initial assessment using a single lateral projection can be followed in doubtful cases by cross sectional imaging.