The importance of evaluating all seven cervical vertebrae in the trauma patient: a case report

The cervical spine is injured in approximately 3% of major trauma patients and 10% of patients with serious head injury. We present a patient in whom an unstable cervical spine, without neurological deficit, resulting from a traffic accident was misdiagnosed as normal in the emergency room. Although cervical spine pain or tenderness and neurological deficit have a sensitivity of 93% for cervical spine injury, asymptomatic patients or patients with mild symptoms can have spine injury. All trauma patients with a complaint of mild neck pain require a standard three-view radiological evaluation of the cervical spine demonstrating all seven vertebrae and the top of first thoracic vertebra even if their neurologic examination is normal.