Neck Injuries Car Accident

Neck Injuries Car Accident

“Do patients with neck injuries really need that MRI after a normal CT?”

A new Yale-led study finds that the cost of a follow-up MRI after a normal CT scan for
unconscious patients with blunt neck injuries caraccident may outweigh the benefit.

Neck Injuries Car Accident
Individuals who suffer injury to the back of the neck, or cervical spine, after a car
accident, serious fall, or other blunt trauma typically receive a CT scan. If that test is
negative for bone fracture, clinicians often follow up with an MRI to check for damage to
ligaments. Ligament injury might imply instability, which if not fixed, could potentially
lead to spinal cord injury. However, in recent years, the utility of routine MRIs for these
injuries has come into question.

Neck Injuries Car Accident
Senior study author Ajay Malhotra, M.D. and his colleagues conducted an analysis
based on published patient data. They found that the average cost of the follow-up MRI
was $14,185 and that there was no difference in health benefits, as measured in “quality
of life” years, for patients who had the test versus those who didn’t, the researchers
noted.
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Neck Injuries Car Accident
The study results may be explained in part by the frequency of false positive results
from MRIs. The findings, published in JAMA Surgery, could be informative for
emergency care physicians and healthcare policymakers, said Malhotra.

Neck Injuries can be very serious and pain usually does not show up for some time after the accident in many cases.  That is why it is a good idea to be checked out right afterwards by a certified Whiplash and Brain Traumatology Specialist.

By Matthew J. DeGaetano, DC and Jason C. McCullough, DC
Certified in Whiplash and Brain Traumatology
Certified Colossus Consultant