Emergency radiology
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Emergency radiology · Apr 2005
Case ReportsTraumatic retropharyngeal hematoma and prevertebral edema induced by whiplash injury.
Whiplash injury commonly results in cervical spine trauma. We report a case of a 58-year-old man, who sustained a whiplash injury from contact with the headrest of his seat after his car was involved in a rear-end collision. ⋯ Compression of the upper airways was evident. A careful history and an appropriate diagnostic approach are essential for the work-up and management of such a life-threatening situation.
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Emergency radiology · Apr 2005
Acute traumatic spinal epidural hematoma: imaging and neurologic outcome.
The purpose of this study was to present MRI characteristics of traumatic spinal epidural hematomas (TSEHs) and to evaluate their effect on neurologic outcome. A retrospective analysis was performed of all 74 cases in which patients underwent emergent spinal MRI in the setting of acute trauma at our institution's Emergency Department between June 2002 and January 2003. MRI studies were evaluated for the presence of a TSEH. ⋯ Twenty-two of 74 patients had normal imaging studies. Six-month follow-up of neurologic status demonstrated no statistically significant difference in neurologic outcome between patients with spinal fractures and TSEH and those with spinal fractures but no TSEH. If a spinal fracture and abnormal neurologic exam are present, the neurologic outcome at 6 months is not worsened by the presence of a TSEH.
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Emergency radiology · Apr 2005
Adequacy of plain radiography in the diagnosis of cervical spine injuries.
Our hypotheses were (1) that plain radiography of the cervical spine in the evaluation of low risk patients with minor blunt trauma is accurate and (2) that computed tomography (CT) of the cervical spine in the evaluation of low risk patients is unnecessary. This study evaluates those hypotheses. We prospectively recorded findings of all patients with blunt trauma who underwent imaging over a period of 70 days. ⋯ Plain radiography missed one fracture out of 15. In low risk patients, plain radiography is an efficient diagnostic exam with a specificity of 100%. In high risk patients, plain radiography is a good adjunctive screening exam in conjunction with CT scan, with a sensitivity of 93.3% and specificity of 95%.