Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Apr 1;98(4):541-549.
doi: 10.1097/TA.0000000000004460. Epub 2024 Nov 28.

Cervical spine clearance in the pediatric trauma population: What you need to know

Katie W Russell  1 , Anastasia Kahan, R Scott Eldredge
Affiliations
Review

Cervical spine clearance in the pediatric trauma population: What you need to know

Katie W Russell et al. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. .

Abstract

Evaluation of the pediatric cervical spine after blunt trauma is an important topic that requires special consideration. In this article, we will review background information and differences between the pediatric and adult cervical spine. We will then give up-to-date guidance on best practice for screening and clearance of the cervical spine in children, including the advantages and disadvantages of different imaging techniques. Finally, we will introduce current topics of study and surmise what changes or innovations may be coming in the future.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Viccellio P, Simon H, Pressman BD, Shah MN, Mower WR, Hoffman JR. A prospective multicenter study of cervical spine injury in children. Pediatrics . 2001;108(2):e20–e20.
    1. Kim W, Ahn N, Ata A, Adamo MA, Entezami P, Edwards M. Pediatric cervical spine injury in the United States: defining the burden of injury, need for operative intervention, and disparities in imaging across trauma centers. J Pediatr Surg . 2021;56(2):293–296.
    1. Leonard JC, Harding M, Cook LJ, Leonard JR, Adelgais KM, Ahmad FA, et al. PECARN prediction rule for cervical spine imaging of children presenting to the emergency department with blunt trauma: a multicentre prospective observational study. Lancet Child Adolesc Health . 2024;8(7):482–490.
    1. Leonard JR, Jaffe DM, Kuppermann N, Olsen CS, Leonard JC. Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) cervical spine study group. Cervical spine injury patterns in children. Pediatrics . 2014;133(5):e1179–e1188.
    1. Mohseni S, Talving P, Branco BC, Chan LS, Lustenberger T, Inaba K, et al. Effect of age on cervical spine injury in pediatric population: a National Trauma Data Bank review. J Pediatr Surg . 2011;46(9):1771–1776.

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources