Journal of Spine

The Cervical Trauma in Children: Difficulties in Diagnosis and Treatment Choice

Abstract

Tiziana Greggi, Antonio Scarale, Elena Maredi, Francesco Lolli, Konstantinos Martikos, Francesco Vommaro, Mario Di Silvestre, Stefano Giacomini and Andrea Baioni

Cervical traumas in children are often misunderstood and treated incorrectly. Injuries of the cervical spine are relatively rare in children but are a distinct clinical entity compared with those found in adults. The unique biomechanics of the pediatric cervical spine leads to a different distribution of injuries and distinct radiographic features. The treatment of cervical spine injuries in children must be founded on an understanding of spine development. Differences in injury patterns, interpretation of radiographic studies, and management of injuries are a direct result of the unique anthropometrics and biomechanics of a child. The literature specifically addressing cervical spine injuries in children is scarce most studies have been focused on adults. In more recent years, as distinct aspects of the pediatric spine have been better appreciated, more attention has been given exclusively to injuries of the cervical spine in younger patients. We describe two cases of cervical trauma of different entity for which the incorrect evaluation of the trauma led to a difficult diagnostic-therapeutic path.