[Clinical relevance of "bone bruise" detected by MRI following spinal injuries in children].
BACKGROUND
MRI is a sensitive diagnostic tool, which is especially suited for the diagnosis of vertebral injuries in children since no radiation has to be applied to gonads or blood-producing organs. An indirect sign of vertebral injury is the presence of "bone bruise," an edema of the vertebral body without other bony lesions. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the clinical significance of "bone bruise" following vertebral trauma in children.


METHODS
Between 1998 and 2003 a total of 66 children with vertebral injuries were treated at our institution; 34 of these patients initially underwent MRI. In this retrospective study 20 of these children who were diagnosed with a vertebral injury based on the presence of a "bone bruise" in an MRI on admission were examined clinically as well as by follow-up MRI.


RESULTS
All 20 patients stated they felt no limitations in daily activities. On examination there were no significant pathologic findings. We did not note persistence of a "bone bruise" or a collapse of the affected bone in the follow-up MRI.


CONCLUSIONS
If a "bone bruise" is detected in the MRI after vertebral trauma in children, it usually has a good prognosis. With adequate therapy, which in our regimen consists of bedrest and early mobilization, we did not note any secondary collapse of the affected vertebrae.
Scheunemann
D
D
Zentrum für Operative Medizin, Klinik und Poliklinik für Unfall-, Hand- und Wiederherstellungschirurgie, Universitätsklinikum, Hamburg-Eppendorf.
Lehmann
W
W
Briem
D
D
Stork
A
A
Windolf
J
J
Rueger
J M
JM
Linhart
W
W
D002648:Child; D003288:Contusions / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D004487:Edema / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous; D013124:Spinal Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology