title: The prevalence and clinical importance of incidental soft-tissue findings in cervical CT scans of trauma population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To define the age-related prevalence of incidental soft-tissue findings in cervical CT scans of a trauma population and to investigate their clinical importance.
  
  
  METHODS
  The original diagnostic radiology reports and the CT images of the 357 patients with cervical trauma were retrospectively evaluated. Incidental soft-tissue findings were investigated. All findings were grouped according to age. The findings were classified based on their clinical importance into three categories: Category 1: no clinical importance, Category 2: possible clinical importance requiring further investigation and Category 3: obvious clinical importance. In addition, the medical records of the patients were investigated. The follow-up ratio of the pathologies mentioned in the original radiology report was recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most frequently encountered findings in Categories 2 and 3 were carotid artery calcification (n = 89, 24.9%) and tonsillolith (n = 115, 32.2%), respectively. The reporting ratio in the original reports of Categories 1, 2 and 3 findings was 1.1% (n = 4), 9% (n = 27) and 34.5% (n = 64), respectively. No further investigations and follow-up was accomplished for Category 1 lesions, whereas 11.1% of Category 2 and 35.9% of Category 3 lesions were subjected to further investigations and follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The cervical CT scans of trauma patients reveal many clinically important soft-tissue incidental findings. Cervical region incidental findings may be followed up on an outpatient basis, rarely being of life-threatening value. The ratio of reporting and follow-up of incidental findings increases parallel to the clinical importance of the lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Alanya Teaching and Medical Research Center, Baskent University School Medicine, Alanya, Turkey.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ergun
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lakadamyali
mesh_terms: D000234:Adenoids / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002137:Calculi / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D033162:Incidental Findings; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009333:Neck / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D009999:Ossification, Heterotopic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014066:Palatine Tonsil / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013701:Temporal Bone / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D016606:Thyroid Nodule / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*; D061205:Vascular Calcification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: X-ray CT; cervical vertebrae; incidental findings; spinal injuries; tomography