A CT of the chest, abdomen and pelvis — in place of dedicated spine imaging — can detect any injury needing surgical attention, according to a report published in Current Problems in Diagnostic Radiology.
Caitlin Hardy, MD, and her team at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, N.J., looked at 201 patients who had been diagnosed with thoracic or lumbar spine fractures at between 2010 and 2014. Each participant had a thoracic or lumbar spine CT within a month of their injury, as well as a chest, abdomen and pelvic CT.
Results showed 312 total fractures among the patients, and 18 percent of patients had at least one fracture missed on their first visceral CT. Dr. Hardy determined a dedicated spine CT didn't change a patient's course of management in a single case.
"The benefit of a dedicated spine CT in cases where a fracture was found is not entirely clear from this study," the study wrote. "Although it is ideal for all fractures to be identified, the majority of missed fractures were located near more serious fractures and in the transverse process, where surgical intervention was not required."
Other studies suggest visceral CT scans of the chest, abdomen and pelvis are acceptable when reconstructing images of the spine. The American College of Radiology endorses that practice.
Dr. Hardy and her team published their findings in Current Problems in Diagnostic Radiology.