Direct injury to the cervical spine of a child by a lap-shoulder belt resulting in quadriplegia: case report.
Most pediatric cervical spine injuries from seat-belt restraints result from hyperflexion of the neck without direct injury to the spine from the restraining device. We report what we believe to be the first case of direct injury to the cervical spine by the shoulder component of a lap-shoulder seat belt. This resulted in quadriplegia. The mechanism of injury and recommendations to obviate such injuries are discussed.
Lynch
J M
JM
Benedum Pediatric Trauma Program, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Meza
M P
MP
Pollack
I F
IF
Adelson
P D
PD
D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D011782:Quadriplegia / Q000209:etiology; D012622:Seat Belts / Q000009:adverse effects*