Sport injuries in the Spine - ESPR | The European Society ... · Sports injuries to the cervical...
Transcript of Sport injuries in the Spine - ESPR | The European Society ... · Sports injuries to the cervical...
Ignasi Barber MD PhD
Hospital Sant Joan de Déu
Barcelona
Sport injuries in the Spine
No disclosure
Sports injuries Spine
1. Anatomy and biomechanics (pediatric spine)
2. Type of injuries (acute vs chronic)
3. Imaging evaluation
4. Specific sports injuries
5. Treatment and follow up
6. Prevention
Sports injuries Spine
Pediatric Spine:
1. Anatomy and biomechanics
Passive elements: Bones and ligaments
Active elements: Muscles
Sports injuries Spine
1. Anatomy and biomechanics
Development of the pediatric spine 8 Years old
Younger children have a large head-to-body ratio and a hypermobile spine: ligamentous laxity, horizontal facet joints, underdeveloped spinous processes, and relatively weak musculature.
These factors can lead to high-level cervical spine injuries and to spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality (SCIWORA).
Egloff AM et al. Pediatric cervical spine trauma imaging: a practical approach. Ped Radiol (2009) 39:447-456.
Normal Variants
*Images from Lustrin ES et al. Pediatric cervical spine: normal anatomy, variants and trauma. Radiographics (2003) 23:539-560
Familiarity with normal anatomy can helpavoid misinterpretation of normal epiphyses as pathologic conditions.
C1Pseudoluxation C2-C3: physiological anterior displacement of C2 on C3 in children. It is common in children <7 years. It is more pronounced in flexion and should not be considered a traumatic cervical injury. (Swischuk’s line)
1. Ghanem I, El Hage S, Rachkidi R et-al. Pediatric cervical spine instability. J Child Orthop. 2008;2 (2): 71-84.2. Swischuk LE. Anterior displacement of C2 in children: physiologic or pathologic.
Radiology. 1977;122 (3): 759-63.
Sports injuries Spine
EpidemiologyEach year in the United States, more than 44 million children participate in organized sports and recreational activitiesMore than 9000 emergency department visits each day37 to 80% of pediatric spine injuries following trauma involve the cervical spine.
Sports injuries to the cervical spine: higher incidence of subaxial injuries and increased odds of sustaining SCIWORA.
Babcock L, Olsen CS, Jaffe DM, Leonard JC, Cervical Spine Study Group for the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN). Cervical Spine Injuries in Children Associated With Sports and Recreational Activities. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2018 Oct;34(10):677–86.
Sports injuries Spine
Pediatric Spine:
1. Anatomy and biomechanics
2. Type of injuries: acute
3. Clinical and Imaging evaluation
4. Treatment and follow up
5. Prevention
Acute Injuries in pediatric spine
1. Occiput-C1 dislocation
2. Jefferson fracture (ring of C1 fracture)
3. Atlantoaxial injuries: Rotatory subluxation and ligamentous disruption
4. C2 fractures: Odontoid and Hangman fractures
5. Subaxial cervical spine injuries: Body compression fractures, facet fracture/dislocation
6. Thoracic and lumbar spine fractures: compression, burst and Chance fractures
Imaging techniques• Plain films
Lateral view, AP and Odontoid
• CT
Helical and multiplanar reconstruction
• MR
Evaluation of spinal cord
Evaluation of ligamentous injuries
AP and Lateral plain films in a 5 yo girl
AP transoral“odontoyd” view in a 4 yo girl : Unnecesary in younger than 5-9 years.
Forced flexion and extension lateral views in a 4 yo girl. Not usefull in the acute setting.
Plain films
Vertebral bodyLateral MassFacet jointLaminaSpinous process
C1
C2
C3
C4
C5
C6
C7
Imaging techniques
• CT
Screening tool in adults
When should we do it in children?
High risk of spine injury
Severe head trauma (Glasgow score under 8)
Inadequate plain films or suspected fracture
It should not be used as a screening tool in children!!!
Adelgais KM, Grossman DC, Langer SG et al (2004) Use of helical computed tomography for imaging the pediatric cervical spine. Acad Emerg Med 11:228–236
3 yo boy with neck pain after playground accidentA friend fell on top of him from 2 m high!!!
Imaging techniques• MR
Evaluation of spinal cord
Evaluation of soft-tissue injuries
Neurologic symptoms with or without radiographic findings
A 13-year-old boy with SCIWORA.Image from AH Karantanas. Sports injuries in children and adolescents.© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011
Case courtesy of Dr I. Delgado Hospital Vall d’Hebrón . Barcelona.
T1 STIR T2 T2*
5 year old boy who suffered a motor vehicle accident who presents with an acute tetraparesia
16 year old boy with head and neck trauma and neck pain. Plain films (OSH) normal.
Subaxial cervical spine injuries: Lateral facet fracture. No dislocation
Subaxial cervical spine injuries:Hyperflexion fractureUsually related to sports-related injuries or MVA in older children and adolescentsFlexion and axial loading
Skeletal trauma: spinal column
Acute thoracic-lumbar spine injuriesOlder children are subject to similar fractures as adults.
Vertebral body compression fractures are most common.
The presence of injury at multiple noncontiguous levels in children is associated with an increased probability of neurologic injury.
Rebecca Stein-Wexler, Sandra L. Wootton-Gorges and M.B. Ozonoff. “Pediatric Orthopedic Imaging”. Firth GB. Pediatric noncontiguous spinal injuries: the 15-year experience at a level 1 trauma center. Spine. 2012;37(10):E599–608.
Spinous Process Fracture (Clay-shoveler's fracture)
L2 Chance fracture in a 17 yo girl.Unstable flexion-distraction transverse disruption involving vertebral body and posterior elementsUsually at T12-L2 level (thoracolumbar junction)In adolescent fracture line through the physeal plate (never through disc)
Sports injuries Spine
Pediatric Spine:
1. Anatomy and biomechanics
2. Type of injuries: chronic
3. Clinical and Imaging evaluation
4. Treatment and follow up
5. Prevention
Nonspecific uncomplicated thoraco lumbar spine pain8-16 years old, girls>boys, family history
Stress injury/Spondylolysis/SpondylolisthesisDisc pathology (hernia, Scheuermann)
Repetitive trauma associated with athletics may be responsible for clinical or subclinical injuries that lead to chronic back pain
A detailed history and physical examination and plain PA / lateral plain films of the spine are the initial steps…
"…the value of a lumbar spine radiograph is to establish the presence of a spine” Michael Modic MD
Variant 1: Child. Back pain with no clinical red flags
Clincal red flags1. Constant pain2. Night pain3. Radicular pain4. Pain lasting >4 weeks5. Abnormal neurologic examination
Imaging is usually not appropriate
Variant 2: Child. Back pain with 1 or more clinical red flags
X-ray spine area of interestMRI complete spine
Variant 3: Child. Back pain with 1 or more clinical red flags and negative radiographs
MRI complete spine
Variant 4: Child. Back pain with 1 or more clinical red flags and positive radiographs
MRI complete spine
ACR Appropriateness Criteria for Low Back Pain
All low back pain imaging variants
and clinical scenarios:
https://acsearch.acr.org/docs/6948
3/Narrative/
Feldman DS1, Straight JJ, Badra MI, MohaideenA, Madan SS. Evaluation of an algorithmic approach to pediatric back pain. J Pediatr Orthop. 2006 May-Jun;26(3):353-7.
Systematic approach provided a definitive diagnosis in 34%
The authors found that disk pathology (17%) was the most common finding followed by spondylolysis/spondylolisthesis and Scheuermann disease
Ramirez N1, Flynn JM, Hill BW, Serrano JA, Calvo CE, Bredy R, Macchiavelli RE. Evaluation of a systematic approach to pediatric back pain: the utility of magnetic resonance imaging. J Pediatr Orthop. 2015 Jan;35(1):28-32
SPONDYLOLYSIS
• Defect in the pars interarticularis of the neural arch • Mechanical stress between articular apophysis• Axial and hyperextension repetitive load• Present in ~5% of the population and higher in the
adolescent athletic population• Common cause of low back pain• L5 (90%), bilateral (80-90%)• 43-74% of patients with spondylolysis will progress
to spondylolisthesis
https://orthoinfo.aaos.org
Imaging Spondylolysis
▪ Plain films (oblique views, La Chapelle)
Courtesy of Dr Lopez PinoHospital Niño Jesús. Madrid
CT
High specificity, excelentanatomic detailComplete vs incompletefractureSclerosis/consolidation
Radiation burden, unsensitive to otherpathologies, uneable todepict bone edema
Collar around theneck of a Scottie dog
MR Imaging ▪ High sensibility for early changes(edema)
▪ Limited in the evaluation of the cortical bone
▪ Can be missed by MRI!!
Courtesy of Dr Lopez PinoHospital Niño Jesús. Madrid
▪ grade 0: normal pars
▪ grade 1: stress injury▪ grade 3: incomplete fracture▪ grade 3: Acute complete fracture ▪ grade 4: Chronic fracture
Grading Spondylolysis
Hollenberg GM, (2002) Stress reactions of the lumbar pars interarticularis:the development of a new MRI classification system. Spine 27:181–186
NM Imaging
Bone scintigraphy
SPECTTrout AT. Spondylolysis and Beyond: Value of SPECT/CT in Evaluation of Low Back Pain in Children and Young Adults RadioGraphics 2015; 35:819–834
14 yo boy, soccer player, lumbar pain
There is association of spondylolysis withtransitional lumbar vertebra and spinabifida occulta
13 yo boyLumbar pain
9 years old boy. Lumbar pain
Spondylolisthesis (chronic condition)Graded based on Meyerding system (% of anterior displacement of the
proximal vertebra relative to the lower): Grade 1: 1–25%, Grade 2: 26–50%, Grade 3: 51–75%, Grade 4: 76–100% and Grade 5: >100% slippage
Courtesy of Dr Lopez PinoHospital Niño Jesús. Madrid
14yoBasketball playerNormal Plain films
Feldman DS1, Straight JJ, Badra MI, MohaideenA, Madan SS. Evaluation of an algorithmic approach to pediatric back pain. J Pediatr Orthop. 2006 May-Jun;26(3):353-7.
Consider CT
Localized CTLow dose (as low as you can go!!!)
Journal of Digital ImagingAutomatic Lumbar MRI Detection and Identification Based on Deep Learning. October 2018AI detects lumbar vertebrae in MRI images with 98.6% accuracy
Comparison of natural language processing rules-based and machine-learning systems to identify lumbar spine imaging findings related to low back pain. Katherine et al. Academic Radiology 2018, Volume 25 , 1422 - 1432
Disc herniation• Repetitive trauma causes weakening of annular fibers which predisposes to
herniation of nucleus pulposus.• Pain, reduced range of motion and radicular symptoms• Can be associated with ring apohysis fracture• Associated with a haematoma in the epidural space (evident on MRI).
Singhal A . Ring apophysis fracture in pediatric lumbar disc herniation: a common entity. PediatrNeurosurg 2013;49:16–20
Limbus vertebrae
Often included as ‘normal variants’Intraosseous disc herniationOveruse injury / symptomatic.
Athletic adolescents or those with a history of increased axial stress to the spine
13 yo boy
Lumbar Scheuermann’s disease
15 yo boy with thoracic spine pain Scheuermann´s disease
Challenging case and differential diagnosis
13 yo girl with lumbar pain for 2 weeks. Now a palpable mass. MR!
T1
T2
STIR
Gado
Myositis OssificansHeterotopic ossification 6-8 weeks after injury (sports)Avoid biopsy (may mimic malignancy on histology)
2 months FU
6 months FU
1 year FU
Myositis Ossificans
Paediatric Interverterbaldisc calcification (IVDC)Spinal pain /asymptomaticSelf-limited
14 yo girl with lower back painOppenheimer Ossicle
Conclusions• Acute sport spine injuries involve cervcial spine and have a
higher risk of spinal cord injury (SCIWORA)
• Chronic injuries: thoraco-lumbar spine
• Clinical red flags
• In Spondylolysis: plain films, MR and localized low dose CT
Ignasi Barber MD PhD
Hospital Sant Joan de Déu
Barcelona Children’s Hospital
Thank you for your attention