Relationship of cervical soft tissue injury and surgical predication following pediatric cervical spinal trauma and its sequelae on long-term neurologic outcome

Jasmine L Hect; Michael M McDowell; Daryl Fields; Stephanie Greene

doi:10.1016/j.wnsx.2023.100235

Relationship of cervical soft tissue injury and surgical predication following pediatric cervical spinal trauma and its sequelae on long-term neurologic outcome

World Neurosurg X. 2023 Jun 23:20:100235. doi: 10.1016/j.wnsx.2023.100235. eCollection 2023 Oct.

Authors

Jasmine L Hect¹, Michael M McDowell^{1

2}, Daryl Fields², Stephanie Greene^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurosurgery, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA.
² Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, USA.

Abstract

Within the sample of 181 patients with cervical CT, CT identified unstable injury with a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 95%. CT identified operable injury at the CCJ with 86% sensitivity and 91% specificity. CT was considered the gold standard for identification of fractures. Together, the presence of CT imaging suggestive of unstable injury or persistent neurologic complaint had a 100% sensitivity and 81% specificity. Finally, across all patients MRI had 100% sensitivity and 89% specificity for detection of unstable injury requiring surgery.

Keywords: Cervical spine injury; MRI; Trauma.