Are Five-View Plain Films of the Cervical Spine Unreliable? A Prospective Evaluation in Blunt Trauma Patients with Altered Mental Status

Abstract

CTS outperformed five-view CSX in a group of patients with altered mental status or distracting injuries. Five-view CSX failed to diagnose 52.3% of cervical spine fractures identified by CTS. Five-view CSX failed to diagnose five patients with unstable cervical fractures and failed to identify 93.3% of patients with occipital condyle fractures.