Mechanism of Injury Predicts Risk for C-Spine Fracture

Does mechanism of injury predict cervical spine injury? To find out, researchers performed a case-control secondary analysis of data from the study that derived and validated the Canadian C-Spine Rule (CCR).

Of 17,208 patients who presented to nine emergency departments with blunt trauma to the head or neck, 320 (2%) were diagnosed with clinically important C-spine injury (defined as a fracture or ligamentous instability generally requiring internal fixation or treatment with a halo, brace, or rigid collar). The following were not considered clinically important: isolated avulsion fracture of an osteophyte, isolated fracture of a transverse process that did not involve the vertebral body or facet joint, isolated fracture of a spinous process…