Evaluation of cervical vertebral injuries

The use of imaging studies on patients with suspected cervical vertebral injury should be restricted to those patients who fall into the high-risk category for injury. Once a decision is made to obtain radiographs, a minimum of five views is required to adequately rule in or rule out injury. Complex imaging studies such as CT, polydirectional tomography, and MRI may be performed to confirm the initial impression based on plain radiographic findings. The diagnosis of cervical injuries may be facilitated by following a logical pattern of analysis searching for abnormalities of alignment and anatomy, of bony integrity, of the cartilage or joint spaces, and of the soft tissues. This ABCS approach should simplify an intimidating subject and insure a confident radiological diagnosis.