Cervical Spine Imaging in Pediatrics

Reference: Leonard JC 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. June 2024. Date: Oct 15, 2024 Dr. Tabitha Cheng Guest Skeptic: Dr. Tabitha Cheng is a Southern California native and board-certified emergency medicine physician and completed an EMS fellowship as well. The learning didn’t end because she then completed another fellowship in pediatric emergency medicine at Harbor UCLA. Case: An 8-year-old girl is brought in by EMS after a car accident. She was seat belted, sitting in the backseat of the family’s car when they were hit from the side by another vehicle that ran a red light. The airbags deployed, and the car spun a few times. When EMS arrived on the scene, they found both parents unconscious and the girl appeared slightly dazed and confused. EMS places her in a cervical collar and brings her to the emergency department (ED). On your examination, you see she is scared but answering questions appropriately. She does have some abrasions from her seatbelt and complains of pain around her ankle. The rest of her exam is unremarkable. After your evaluation, you are informed that her grandmother has arrived to be with the girl as her other family members are being treated. She looks at the contraption on the girl’s neck and asks you, “Is she okay? Is something wrong with her neck? Does she need an X-ray or CT scan?" Background: Pediatric cervical spine (c-spine) injuries are uncommon (1-3% of blunt trauma). These injuries typically result from blunt trauma caused by motor vehicle accidents, falls, sports injuries, or physical abuse. Although C-spine injuries represent a small fraction of pediatric trauma cases, their potential severity makes accurate and timely diagnosis critical. Younger kids tend to have big lollipop heads which makes them more prone to injury in the upper cervical spine compared to adults (their fulcrum is higher). It is also sometimes difficult to get a scared child to give an accurate history or cooperate with an exam. Many of us use CT or X-rays to help detect cervical spine injuries in this population. Clinicians working in EDs must strike a balance between ensuring they do not miss these rare but serious injuries and avoiding unnecessary imaging, particularly computed tomography (CT), which exposes children to ionizing radiation. Given the sensitivity of developing tissues to radiation, especially in younger children, avoiding unnecessary imaging is a high priority in pediatric care. Traditional diagnostic approaches often lead to the overuse of imaging tools, like CT scans and X-rays, even in low-risk children. This has prompted a movement toward more refined, evidence-based methods for identifying pediatric C-spine injuries, particularly through the development of clinical decision rules (CDRs). CDRs are designed to assist clinicians in making more accurate decisions about when imaging is truly necessary by identifying key clinical predictors of serious injuries. The Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) has been instrumental in developing one of the most widely recognized CDRs for pediatric C-spine injuries. Based on large, multicenter studies, this tool identifies critical risk factors that signal the need for imaging, such as altered mental status, focal neurological deficits, and certain mechanisms of injury. The PECARN rule, validated in clinical settings, has demonstrated high sensitivity in detecting C-spine injuries, while also reducing unnecessary imaging. There are multiple CDRs for identifying pediatric c-spine injuries besides PECARN. The SGEM recently covered the Cochrane systematic review on pediatric CDRs on SGEM #441. Clinical Question: Can the new PECARN clinical prediction rule (tool) guide imaging decisions in detecting pediatric cervical spine injuries...