A retrospective analysis of pediatric admissions over 10 years revealed 29 patients with cervical spine injuries. Eleven patients
were below 12 years of age, and 10 of these had injuries involving C1, C2, or the occipitoatlantal articulation. Eighteen
patients were between 12 and 16 years of age with injuries distributed throughout the cervical spine similar to injuries in
the adult population. Our results suggest that teenagers with suspected cervical injuries are best evaluated by an adult radiographic
series including trauma oblique views. In younger patients, careful evaluation of occipitoatlantoaxial alignment and the prevertebral
soft tissues is required for diagnosis and selection of additional imaging evaluation.
Presented at the Seventy-first Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, Chicago,
17–22 November 1985