Imaging of spinal trauma

Abstract

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York. All rights are reserved. Spine trauma accounts for significant mortality and morbidity. The annual incidence of spinal cord injury (SCI), excluding those who died at the scene of the accident, is approximately 40 cases per million population in the USA or approximately 12,000 new cases each year. Spine trauma can result from blunt or penetrating trauma such as motor vehicle collisions, falls, diving injuries, industrial accidents, gunshot wounds, assault, and other miscellaneous causes. Pathological fractures usually occur from underlying osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, malignancy, infection, and metabolic or endocrine conditions and usually cause compression fractures.