Lecture two (x-ray-bones)-Exam 1 Flashcards
- Fill in the spaces
- Is this patient upright or supine?
- What is the long vertical radiolucency?
- Pt is supine since balls in middle
- Long vertical radiolucency is the trachea
- What x-ray is this? Fill in spaces
- What do you want to make sure lined up?
- How can you see odontoid?
- odontoid cervical spine
- Want to make sure the lateral masses are lined up, C1 and C2. Don’t want to see them out of line, would indicate fracture of C1 or C2 (depending on which body is displaced).
- Can only see odontoid through pt’s open mouth, so see teeth around it.
- What x-ray is this?
- What do you need to clear in trauma? with what views?
- Must see al C vertebrae up to what?
- Lateral C-Spine
- Always have to clear C-Spine in
trauma with AP+lateral or cervical series - Must see all C vertebrae up to
C7-T1 articulation to be able to
clear
- What x-ray is this? How it is different?
- What can you see?
- On oblique, you can see
the intervertebral foramina; not so on lateral.
- What view is this?
- What is preferred?
- What is it useful for?
- What is it not used for?
- When have cervical collar or unconscious –cannotget open mouth view.
- CT is preferred imaging modality for allC-spine fractures
- The Fuchs view is a type of modified Water’s view to demonstrate the odontoid tip.
- Odontoid process can be demonstrated by an exaggerated reverse Waters view called the Fuchs. When performed correctly is very useful for demonstrating the upper part of the odontoid tip but is not used for trauma imaging.
- What diagnosis test is this? What is wrong with the image?
- How many fractures are missed on conventional radiograph?
- What does CT provide?
- Up to 20 % of fractures are missed on conventional radiographs.
- C2 vertebral Body Fracture
- CT benefits include excellent visualization of canal and 3Dreconstruction
- Preferred modality if it is available
- Fill in the spaces?
- What type of test is this? What is it excellent at?
- What can you identify?
- What is this an example of?
- MRI spine imaging
- Excellent soft tissue and vascular contrast
- Can identify bony injury that is not evident on X-Ray
- Here is an example of a MRI image of the cervical spine demostrating a ligamentous injury. Notice that the spinal cord is also very well delinated. A dens fracture is not obvious on the lateral film, but is clearly revealed on MRI. (Med-ed.virginia.edu)
What view is this?
What does it enhance?
- Swimmers View-> for supine and pt who cannot move or have a large BMI
- Enhances C7-T1 visualization
What is this image?
* You should only do this when?
* Why do you do this?
* What can you look for?
Flexion and extension C-spine
* Only done if patient is stable and has NO chance for unstable Fracture.
* Flexion and extension views may be used if a pure soft tissue injury is suspected or an injury of questionable stability is noted. The patient should perform the flexion and extension voluntarily.
* Flexion/extension views are absolutely contraindicated in documented unstable injuries.
* Might look for clayshoveler’sfracture (C6, 7, or T1). Someone who shovels clay (heavy) ends up with these fractures.->not necessarily a fracture that causes paralysis. Need todistinguishit from a HANGMAN’S FRACTURE.
- Who needs c-spine imaging?
- What does every patient need?
- Mental status less than alert or intoxicated
- Reports neck pain
- Midline neck tenderness
- Neurologic signs and symptoms
- Distracting injury (i.e. painful injuries elsewhere, e.g. extremity fractures)
- Every patient needs all 3 views
What is NEXUS Criteria for C-Spine Imaging?
What happens in the field and ED for trauma C-spine?
In the field:
* Cross table c-spine: the first and mostimportant radiograph
In the ED
* CT C-Spine w/o contrast
Fill in
* Assess the four paraelle line?
* These lines should follow what? Any malaligment should be considered what?
Assess four parallel lines. These are:
1. Anterior vertebral line (anterior margin of vertebral bodies)
2. Posterior vertebral line (posterior margin of vertebral bodies)
3. Spinolaminar line (posterior margin of spinal canal)
4. Posterior spinous/process line (tips of the spinous processes)
- These lines should follow a slightly lordotic curve, smooth and without step-offs.
- Any malalignment should be considered evidence of ligmentous injury or occult fracture, and cervical spine immobilization should be maintained until a definitive diagnosis is made.
What do you need to do first for clearing the c spine?
Examine each spinal line to ensurethat itis smooth and contiguous. Anyinterruption is abnormal.
* Anterior Vertebral line
* Posterior Vertebral line
* Spinolaminalline
* Posterior Spinous
Play close attention to thespinolaminal line on t he lateral c-spine film to avoid what?
to avoid missinga C2 traumatic spondylolisthesis (hangman’s fracture)
What do you do second for clearing the c-spine?
Examine all seven cervical vertebralbodies to determine the following:
* Cortical margins are intact (no step offs)
* Height is maintained, no evidence ofcompression
* C7 is in normal alignment with T1
Clearing the C-spine:
* What should the anterior margin of the forament magnum line with?
* The posterior margin of foramen magnum should line up with what?
- The anterior margin of the foramen magnum should line up with the dens.
- The posterior margin of foramen magnum should line up with the C1 spinolaminal line.
What is the 3rd, fourth and fifth steps for clearing C-spine?
3.Determine whether the spinous processesare intact
4. Evaluate disk spaces for abnormalwidening or narrowing
5. Measure predental space (see arrow)
What is this?
Predental space
What is the 6th, 7th and 8th steps for clearing the c-spine?
- Examine odontoid process to be sure it isintact and does not protrude into the baseof the skull
- Measure the prevertebral soft tissues
- Assess the normal cervical lordosis
A patient arrived at the ED on backboard and a cervical collar. He has a blood alcohol level of 0.2. He does not complain of any neck pain.
* Should the patient get a complete cervical series?
YESSSSSSS, mental impaired
- What is the predental space?
- The prevertebral soft tissues can be used as an indicator of what?
- The normal width of the prevertebral tissue decreases down from what vertabrae?
- What is the normal measurement from C1-C4? Below C5?
- Air within soft tissue could suggests what?
- Predental space, the distance between the anterior surface of the odontoid process and posterior aspect of the anterior ring of C1.
- The prevertebral soft tissues can be used as an indicator of an acute swelling or hemorrhage resulting from an injury, and may sometimes be the only indicator of an acute injury on an x-ray.
- The normal width of the prevertebral tissue decreases down from C1 to C4 and increases from C4 downwards.
- Normal measurements from C1 to C4 are less than 7 mm (less than half of the vertebral body at this level), and less than 22 mm below the C5 (less than the vertebral body at this level).
- Air within soft tissue could suggest rupture of the esophagus or trachea.Space between lower cervical vertebrae and trachea should be < 1 vertebral body.
What are the soft tissue measurement?