@article{ref1,
title="Usefulness of full spine computed tomography in cases of high-energy trauma: a prospective study",
journal="European journal of orthopaedic surgery and traumatology",
year="2014",
author="Takami, Masanari and Nohda, Kazuhiro and Sakanaka, Junya and Nakamura, Masamichi and Yoshida, Munehito",
volume="24",
number="Suppl 1",
pages="S167-71",
abstract="INTRODUCTION: At this hospital, computed tomography (CT) of the full spine is performed on all patients who have sustained high-energy trauma because spinal fractures can be overlooked by referring only to clinical findings and plain X-rays of the spine. The goal of this study is to prospectively detect the occurrence of spinal fractures in cases of high-energy trauma using full spine CT and to evaluate the usefulness of it. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Subjects were 179 patients (134 male, 45 female) who were deemed to have sustained high-energy trauma in the 21-month period starting in September 2007. Spinal fractures initially revealed by CT were studied in detail. RESULTS: Spinal fractures were found in 54 patients (30.2 %); 19 patients had stable fractures, and 41 had unstable fractures. Forty patients had concomitant injuries to organs in addition to spinal injury; these patients had an average Injury Severity Score of 20.2 (4-70). Of 16 patients with a cervical fracture, 6 (37.5 %) had a fracture that did not appear on plain X-rays of the cervical and that was first identified by CT. Of 43 patients with a thoracolumbar fracture, 6 (14.0 %) had a fracture that would have been difficult to detect if a full spine CT had not been done. CONCLUSION: In patients who have sustained high-energy trauma, spinal fractures may be overlooked during primary care by a diagnosis based only on plain X-rays and clinical manifestations. Therefore, patients who have sustained high-energy trauma should be evaluated with full spine CT during primary care.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1633-8065",
doi="10.1007/s00590-013-1268-0",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00590-013-1268-0"
}