Original Article
Spinal Cord advance online publication 16 June 2009; doi: 10.1038/sc.2009.59
Comparison of computed tomographic and magnetic resonance imaging in fracture healing after spinal injury
R Warwick1, J M Willatt2, B Singhal3, J Borremans4 and T Meagher1
- 1Department of Radiology, Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Aylesbury, Bucks, UK
- 2Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- 3National Spinal Injuries Centre, Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Aylesbury, Bucks, UK
- 4Spinal Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine Regionalverbund Kirchlicher Krankenhäuser Bruder Klaus Krankenhaus Heitere Weg 10, Waldkirch, Germany
Correspondence: Dr R Warwick, Department of Radiology, Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Mandeville Road, Aylesbury, Bucks HP21 8AL, UK. E-mail: rowena.warwick@buckshosp.nhs.uk
Received 12 December 2008; Revised 6 May 2009; Accepted 10 May 2009; Published online 16 June 2009.
Abstract
Study design:
Single-centre, prospective (comparative cohort) clinical study, with ethical approval and patient consent.
Objective:
Confirmation of vertebral fracture union can pose significant challenges for clinicians in the management of spinal cord injury and in the decisions around patient mobilization. Bony union is usually assessed with computed tomography (CT). This study hypothesizes that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can identify vertebral bone union.
Setting:
A major spinal injuries unit in the United Kingdom.
Method:
Patients underwent CT and MRI at 12 weeks post-injury, if conservatively managed, or 12 weeks post-fixation. With CT as the gold standard, the MRI scans were reviewed blind to the CT result and indicators for fracture healing were compared.
Results:
A total of 35 patients with 55 fractures were imaged. Comparison of CT and MRI showed sensitivity of 88%, specificity of 100% and positive predictive value of 100% for fracture union imaged with MRI using CT as the gold standard.
Conclusion:
MRI correlates well with CT in identifying vertebral fracture union and non-union. We suggest that where imaging is indicated in the assessment of vertebral body fracture healing MRI can be used routinely with CT reserved for problematic or inconclusive cases.
Keywords:
spinal fracture, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging
