Abstract
Among patients admitted in emergency departments for acute cervical spine trauma,
only a few have a confirmed and significant injury requiring surgical intervention.
Imaging plays a key role in screening for unstable lesions that can be responsible
for devastating neurologic complications or death. The complex anatomy of the cervical
spine is associated with a wide spectrum of osseous and ligamentous pathologies. This
review focuses on the imaging features of the main cervical spine fractures that can
be encountered in emergency radiology.
Keywords
cervical spine - trauma - diagnostic imaging - emergency radiology