• J. Surg. Res. · Jul 2013

    A pediatric cervical spine clearance protocol to reduce radiation exposure in children.

    • Raphael Sun, Dionne Skeete, Kristel Wetjen, Michele Lilienthal, Junlin Liao, Mark Madsen, Gabriel Lancaster, Joel Shilyansky, and Kent Choi.
    • Department of Surgery, Division of Acute Care Surgery and Pediatric Surgery, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA. raphaelsun@gmail.com
    • J. Surg. Res. 2013 Jul 1;183(1):341-6.

    BackgroundTo minimize radiation exposure in children and reduce resource use, we implemented an age-specific algorithm to evaluate cervical spine injuries at a Level 1 trauma center. The effects of protocol implementation on computed tomography (CT) use in children (≤ 10 y) were determined.MethodsWith institutional review board approval, we conducted a retrospective review using the institutional trauma registry. All pediatric patients (≤ 10 y) (n = 324) between January 2007 and present were reviewed. We excluded cases in which no imaging or outside imaging was performed. Patients were evaluated by physical exam alone, with the aid of plain radiograms or with cervical spine CT. All patients who required head CT also had CT of cervical spine to C3. We analyzed demographic, injury, and outcome data using STATA to perform chi-square and t-test, and to determine P value. P < 0.05 was defined as significant. We used the WinDose program to calculate the radiation-effective dose used in cervical spine CT.ResultsThere were 123 and 124 patients in the pre-protocol and post-protocol groups, respectively. Demographics, GCS, and injury analysis, specifically head-neck and face Injury Severity Scores showed no significant difference between groups. There was a 60% (P < 0.001) decrease in the use of full CTs after protocol implementation. We estimated that the protocol reduced the exposed area by 50% and decreased the radiation dose to the thyroid by > 80%. We extrapolated the combined effect results in a threefold reduction in radiation exposure.ConclusionsImplementation of a cervical spine protocol led to a significant reduction in radiation exposure among children.Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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