Incidence of cervical spine fractures on CT: a study in a large level I trauma center.

INTRODUCTION/PURPOSE: Though spinal fractures constitute a minority of all traumas, the financial burden imposed is immense especially following cervical spine trauma. There have been several papers in the past describing the incidence of cervical spine fractures. In this paper, we report the incidence of cervical spine fractures and correlate with demographic information and cause of injury and review the mechanism of fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed retrospective analysis of 934 patients who had undergone CT scan for cervical spine trauma at our institute which includes 16 hospitals and one level I trauma center over a period of 2 years. This list was created from a wider database of 13,512 patients imaged for suspected cervical spine injury. All patients who had at least one positive finding on CT were included in this study irrespective of any demographic difference. Each patient was analyzed by reviewing the medical records, and correlation was sought between demographics and cause of injury. RESULTS: In our study, the peak incidence of cervical spine trauma was in the age group of 21-30 years followed by 31-40 years with a male:female ratio of 2.1. The major cause of injury in the study population was motor vehicle accidents (66.1%), followed by fall from height of less than 8 ft (12.2%). With regard to the ethnic distribution, Caucasians (46.9%) constituted the major population followed by Hispanic population (23.3%). C1 and C2 were observed to be more frequently fractured as compared with the subaxial spine. Incidence of C2 fractures (188 levels) was higher as compared with C1 (102 levels). Incidence of body and lateral mass fractures was marginally higher as compared with odontoid fractures. C7 (50 levels) was the most fractured vertebral body in the subaxial spine followed by C6 (35 levels) and C5. CONCLUSION: Spinal trauma is on the rise and it helps to know the factors which can guide us for better management of these patients. We can utilize these results to prognosticate and streamline clinical management of these patients.

Enfermedad de Rosai-Dorfman (ERD) con compromiso exclusivo del sistema nervioso central. Presentación de caso y revisión de literatura / Rosai-Dorfman Disease (RDD) With Isolated Compromise of the Central Nervous System. Case Report and Literature Review

La enfermedad de Rosai-Dorfman (ERD) o histiocitosis sinusal con linfadenopatía masiva (HSLM) es una entidad histiocítica benigna rara, que usualmente afecta los ganglios linfáticos. Se han descrito algunos casos en el sistema nervioso central, y son excepcionales los que aparecen sin afección nodular concomitante. La falta de patrones imaginológicos cerebrales típicos puede llevar a una cirugía por un diagnóstico erróneo, con causas atribuidas a un probable origen maligno. Usualmente, el diagnóstico histopatológico se realiza después del procedimiento quirúrgico. Esta entidad clínico-patológica carece de consenso en diagnóstico, curso clínico y tratamiento. Se presenta un caso de ERD con extensión intracraneal, con la lectura retrospectiva de los estudios imaginológicos.

Rosai-Dorfman Disease (RDD) or Sinus Histiocytosis with Massive Lymphadenopathy (SHML) is a rare benign histiocytic disorder, usually affecting the lymph nodes. Intracranial involvement is an uncommon variant of the disease; however, intracranial lesions without concomitant nodular involvement is exceptional. The lack of typical brain imaging patterns can lead to surgery due to misdiagnosis, with causes attributed to a probable malignant origin. Histopathological diagnosis is usually made after the surgical procedure. There is no consensus related to diagnosis, clinical course and treatment of this disease. A case report is presented on isolated intracranial RDD, with a retrospective reading of the imaging studies.