Open AccessCervical Spine CT Can Miss Fractures in American Football Players When Protective Equipment is in Place: A Cadaver Study
Author(s) -
Amit S. Piple,
Carol Bernier,
Mark Rogers,
Kelley Whitmer,
David Keyes,
Anand Bansal,
Jonathan J. Carmouche
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
clinical orthopaedics and related research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1528-1132
pISSN - 0009-921X
DOI - 10.1097/corr.0000000000001816
Subject(s) - medicine , cadaver , football , sports medicine , radiology , occiput , cervical spine , medical physics , surgery , physical therapy , political science , law
Iatrogenic worsening of spinal injury can result in significant harm to American football players and complicate management when equipment is removed in the acute setting by inexperienced personnel. Spine imaging before removal of protective equipment mitigates this risk. There is no consensus regarding the ideal timing of equipment removal or whether current diagnostic imaging modalities are effective to detect such injuries without equipment removal. Prior data suggest that CT is a diagnostic modality for this purpose; however, radiologists' accuracy in detecting fractures in the presence of protective equipment requires additional study.