[Cervical spine injury. Diagnosis, prognosis and management].
Cervical spine injuries are a common occurrence in multi-trauma patients and should be taken into account when planning further clinical management. This review describes in detail upper and lower cervical spine injuries and introduces the sub-axial injury classification (SLIC) that is based on three components: injury morphology, integrity of the discoligamentous complex and the neurologic status of the patient. If the total SLIC score is <3, non-surgical treatment is recommended. If the total is > or =5, operative treatment is indicated as such a score is associated with instability and probably neurologic deficits. The precise diagnosis of the radiologist, which would include the SLIC classification, should facilitate clinical decision-making about further management.
Schüller-Weidekamm
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Abteilung für Neuroradiologie und muskuloskelettale Radiologie, Klinik für Radiodiagnostik, AKH, Medizinische Universität Wien, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, A-1090, Wien, Osterreich. claudia.schueller-weidekamm@meduniwien.ac.at
D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D013124:Spinal Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*