Published 3 September 2008, doi:10.1136/bmj.a207
Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a207

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Imaging after trauma to the neck

Bernard Wee, specialist registrar1, John H Reynolds, consultant radiologist1, Anthony Bleetman, consultant emergency medicine2

1 Department of Radiology, Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham B9 5SS, 2 Department of Emergency Medicine, Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital

john.reynolds@heartofengland.nhs.uk

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

A patient was brought by ambulance to the emergency department several hours after falling down a flight of steps. She was delivered on a spinal board with her neck immobilised in a collar, blocks, and tape. She complained of severe neck pain but was otherwise alert and orientated. Her score on the Glasgow coma scale was 15. No abnormal neurological findings were present on examination and the rest of the examination was unremarkable. Given the history of a high risk mechanism and severe neck pain, screening cervical radiographs were obtained. Go


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1. What are the standard views in a cervical spine trauma series?
2. What lines are used to evaluate a lateral cervical spine radiograph?
3. What abnormalities do these radiographs show?
4. What is the clinical significance of this injury?
5. What further imaging does this patient need?

1. Anteroposterior lateral and anteroposterior odontoid peg views.
2. Anterior spinal line, . . . [Full text of this article]


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