Cervical Spine Q3

Question 1

Stable vs. unstable injuries

Answer 1

Stable injuries have intact posterior spinal ligaments

Unstable injuries show displacement

Question 2

What are the most frequently injured levels of the cervical spine?

Answer 2

C1-C2

C6-C7

Question 3

Adults most commonly injure what part of c- spine? Children?

Answer 3

Adults= lower

Children= upper

Question 4

DDD or degenerative disc disease is visualized on what imaging modality? What age?

Answer 4

Radiograph in people over 60

Question 5

What is DJD or degenerative joint disease?

Answer 5

osteoarthritis changes of the facet joints

Question 6

Foraminal encroachment

Answer 6

Results from degenerative changes in adjacent structures including DDD and DJD that diminish the size of the intervertebral foramina.

Question 7

What is spondylosis?

Answer 7

Formation of osteophytes in response to DDD, before disc space narrowing occurs

Question 8

What is the initial imaging study for cervical spine problems?

Answer 8

Radiographs except in high-risk trauma patients who are evaluated by CT.

Question 9

What are radiographs effective at visualizing in the cervical spine?

Answer 9

1. Arthritis
2. Fractures
3. Dislocations

Question 10

What is the initial imagin study for high risk trauma patients?

Answer 10

CT

Question 11

What is the imaging of choice for the evaluation of the spinal cord, ligaments, soft tissues and neurological deficits not explained by CT or radiographs?

Answer 11

MRI

Question 12

What is the purpose of NEXUS (National Emergency Utilization X-ray study) and CCR (Canadian cervical spine rule)?

Answer 12

To identify patients who can be safely managed without radiologic examination of the cervical spine.

Question 13

What are of the body has the most imaging guidelines? Why?

Answer 13

The cervical spine.

High frequency of injuries seen in the ER coupled with relatively low incidence of spinal fractures that occur in this group of patients.

Question 14

What is myelopathy? What often causes it?

Answer 14

Any neurological deficit related to the spinal cord itself.

Usually caused by compression of the spinal cord by osteophytes, extended disc material or extruded disc in the cervical spine.

Question 15

What are the 5 projections that make up the radiologic examination of the cervical spine?

Answer 15

1. AP open mouth
2. AP lower cervical
3. Lateral
4. Right oblique
5. Left oblique