| CT artifact suggesting cervical facet subluxation. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 21289559 Owner: NLM Status: Publisher |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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ABSTRACT: Study Design: A case report with review of the literature on the cause of CT artifacts and recommendations for identification of such artifacts.Objective: To describe the presentation of a patient with a CT scan suggesting a cervical facet dislocation, that ultimately proved to be artifactual.Summary of Background Data: CT scanning is routinely used in the detection of cervical spine injuries. This technique has a reported sensitivity of 98% though specificity has proved more difficult to estimate. CT artifacts such as the case reported here is a significant cause of a decrease in specificity for this technique.Methods: A 30 year old female with a previous history of a cervical fracture developed severe neck pain without neurological deficit after trauma to the back of her neck. CT scans were obtained and reviewed at a local secondary level hospital. A cervical fracture dislocation was diagnosed and cervical spinal injury protocols were initiated and the patient transferred to our, tertiary level institution for surgical management. A repeat CT scan showed her cervical spine to be in normal alignment.Results: A movement artifact in the patient's original CT scans was misinterpreted as a unilateral facet fracture subluxation at C5-6. There are two clues that in hindsight indicate that this finding was artifactual; an ill defined tracheal margin in contrast with the sharply defined margin above and below the level of the artifact and a double bone margin seen on axial sections at the level of the artifact.Conclusion: Motion artifacts are an important cause in the reduction in specificity of CT scans and can be easily missed. It is important to be aware of the indicators of motion artifacts to reduce the risk of unnecessary treatments. |
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Authors:
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Satyen Mehta; Ben Goss; Alex Gibson; Anthony Athanasiov; Richard Williams |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: JOURNAL ARTICLE Date: 2011-2-1 |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Spine Volume: - ISSN: 1528-1159 ISO Abbreviation: - Publication Date: 2011 Feb |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2011-2-3 Completed Date: - Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 7610646 Medline TA: Spine (Phila Pa 1976) Country: - |
Other Details:
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Languages: ENG Pagination: - Citation Subset: - |
Affiliation:
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1 AO Spine Reference Center, Queensland University of Technology & Princess Alexandra Hospital 2 AO Spine Reference Center, Queensland University of Technology & Princess Alexandra Hospital 3 AO Spine Reference Center, Queensland University of Technology & Princess Alexandra Hospital 4 Princess Alexandra Hospital 5 AO Spine Reference Center, Queensland University of Technology & Princess Alexandra Hospital. |
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From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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