Serious horse-riding accidents: imaging findings and evaluation with multi-slice CT

To assess acute phase multi-slice CT findings in horse-riding accidents in patients referred to a level one trauma center.

Using PACS, we retrieved all CT requests during a time period of 19 months. Patients who had a horse-riding accident and were examined with multi-slice CT were included. The imaging findings of multi-slice CT were retrospectively evaluated by location and injury mechanism.

Forty-six patients (3 male, 43 female, age 16-55 years, mean age 30) were assessed. The injuries we found were five head, three facial, 13 spine, five body, two pelvic, and three lower extremity trauma. Multiple injuries were seen in five (11%) patients. In 21 patients (46%) the initial multi-slice CT examination(s) was normal. Three main injury mechanisms were established; falling off a horse (72%), a horse kick (11%), and crushing injury caused by a falling horse (13%). Fifteen (33%) patients had serious injuries, one lethal and they were associated more frequently with falling off a horse.

Serious injuries with horse riding accidents are not uncommon. In two thirds of patients, the injury mechanism was falling off a horse. Multiple injuries were seen in 11% of cases. In the acute phase, multi-slice CT provided fast and valuable information in assessing these injuries.