MRI spine Recent evidence supports that spine injury is common in children with AHT. In recent retrospective studies [43- 45], ligamentous injury at the craniocervical junction and spinal subdural hemorrhage (SDH) are reported in 36% to 78% and 44% to 63% of AHT cases, respectively. MRI of the cervical spine, including fat-suppressed fluid- sensitive sequences, a sagittal short tau inversion recovery or T2 fat-saturated sequence, should be performed in all cases where the skeletal survey demonstrates any fractures or when clinical concern for craniocervical junction or spinal injury is high. The prevalence of spine fracture is increased to almost 10% in the setting of a positive skeletal survey and is significantly associated with intracranial injury [18]. The high incidence of cervical injuries in abused children with bilateral hypoxic-ischemic brain injuries suggests a causal relationship [44]. The value of routine screening of the whole spine in suspected AHT is still debated. In a subgroup of 38 children with AHT who underwent thoracolumbar spine imaging, 24 (63%) had thoracolumbar SDH, whereas only 1 of 70 patients with accidental trauma had spinal SDH in the same study [43]. None of the children had spinal cord compression or long-term complications from the presence of the spinal SDH, and that imaging was performed mostly because of concern for thoracic or abdominal injury. Although not usually prompting change in management, detection of spinal SDH is significantly increased when imaging is extended through the thoracolumbar spine [45]. The presence of thoracolumbar SDH does not imply direct trauma to the thoracolumbar spine and may be related to redistribution of blood products. Nevertheless, this finding has medicolegal implications as it may document otherwise undetected injury and may help distinguish between abusive and accidental injury.
Suspected Physical Abuse Child. MRI spine Recent evidence supports that spine injury is common in children with AHT. In recent retrospective studies [43- 45], ligamentous injury at the craniocervical junction and spinal subdural hemorrhage (SDH) are reported in 36% to 78% and 44% to 63% of AHT cases, respectively. MRI of the cervical spine, including fat-suppressed fluid- sensitive sequences, a sagittal short tau inversion recovery or T2 fat-saturated sequence, should be performed in all cases where the skeletal survey demonstrates any fractures or when clinical concern for craniocervical junction or spinal injury is high. The prevalence of spine fracture is increased to almost 10% in the setting of a positive skeletal survey and is significantly associated with intracranial injury [18]. The high incidence of cervical injuries in abused children with bilateral hypoxic-ischemic brain injuries suggests a causal relationship [44]. The value of routine screening of the whole spine in suspected AHT is still debated. In a subgroup of 38 children with AHT who underwent thoracolumbar spine imaging, 24 (63%) had thoracolumbar SDH, whereas only 1 of 70 patients with accidental trauma had spinal SDH in the same study [43]. None of the children had spinal cord compression or long-term complications from the presence of the spinal SDH, and that imaging was performed mostly because of concern for thoracic or abdominal injury. Although not usually prompting change in management, detection of spinal SDH is significantly increased when imaging is extended through the thoracolumbar spine [45]. The presence of thoracolumbar SDH does not imply direct trauma to the thoracolumbar spine and may be related to redistribution of blood products. Nevertheless, this finding has medicolegal implications as it may document otherwise undetected injury and may help distinguish between abusive and accidental injury.