REVIEW ARTICLE
Current Concepts in Pediatric Cervical Spine Trauma
Kunal Shah*, Agnivesh Tikoo, Manish K. Kothari, Abhay Nene
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2017Volume: 11
Issue: Suppl 2: M3
First Page: 346
Last Page: 352
Publisher ID: TOORTHJ-11-346
DOI: 10.2174/1874325001711010346
Article History:
Received Date: 02/01/2016Revision Received Date: 10/07/2016
Acceptance Date: 15/07/2016
Electronic publication date: 28/04/2017
Collection year: 2017

open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Background:
Pediatric spinal trauma is rare and challenging entity. Although cervical spine is commonly affected, it is often missed on routine imaging investigations. Therefore better understanding of growing spine and its patho-physiology is crucial.
Methods:
Articles related to pediatric cervical trauma were searched on Pubmed and other online research data banks. We have summarized unique anatomy of pediatric spine, investigations followed by common injury patterns, their diagnostic challenges and management.
Results:
Immature spine follows typical injury patterns, so thorough knowledge of its presentation should be known. Primary physicians should be able to perform initial assessment based on clinical examination and investigations for early diagnosis. High index of suspicion and strategic approach leads to early diagnosis and prevents further morbidity and mortality.
Conclusion:
Spinal injuries in children are rare and typical. They are often missed and can have fatal consequences. Thorough understanding of pediatric anatomy and injury patterns helps in early diagnosis.