title: Cervical spine clearance in the elderly: do elderly patients get a bad deal?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether elderly patients, presenting following trauma and requiring immobilisation and imaging of the cervical spine, require increased use of CT and spend longer immobilised when compared to the younger population.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective chart review was undertaken of 35 adults aged 18-65 years, and 32 adults over 65 years, requiring cervical spine imaging following trauma.
  
  
  RESULTS
  1 of the 35 younger patients, and 16 of the 32 elderly patients, underwent CT. Elderly patients spent 1:05 h longer immobilised (p<0.005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Half of the elderly patients underwent CT, and they were immobilised for significantly longer than younger patients. Measures should be adopted to facilitate early diagnosis and mitigate complications of prolonged immobilisation in elderly patients with neck trauma.
authors.affiliation: Emergency Department, Plymouth NHS Trust, Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, Devon, UK.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.affiliation: Emergency Department, Plymouth NHS Trust, Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, Devon, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Verwey
authors.affiliation: Emergency Department, Plymouth NHS Trust, Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, Devon, UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Herbert
authors.affiliation: Emergency Department, Plymouth NHS Trust, Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, Devon, UK.|Academic Department of Military Emergency Medicine, Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Horne
authors.affiliation: Emergency Department, Plymouth NHS Trust, Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, Devon, UK.|Academic Department of Military Emergency Medicine, Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000293:injuries*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007103:Immobilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Trauma, spine and pelvis; accidental falls; fractures and dislocations; imaging, CT/MRI; imaging, x-ray