Association Between Cervical Fracture Patterns and Blunt Cerebrovascular Injury When Screened with Computed Tomographic Angiography

Vertebral artery injury (VAI) is estimated to be present in upwards of 0.7% of all patients who sustain blunt trauma [1 –7], and in 19-39% of all cervical spine fractures. This is likely due to the close anatomic relationship between the cervical spine and the vertebral arteries. There has been significant interest in determining the risk factors for development of VAI and carotid artery injuries (CAI) because of t he potentially catastrophic outcomes in a missed posterior circulation stroke. If undetected blunt cerebrovascular injuries (BCVI), which include both VAI and CAIs, have significant morbidity and mortality with rates up to 80% and 40% respectively [8].
Source: The Spine Journal - Category: Orthopaedics Authors: Tags: Clinical Study Source Type: research