The cervical spine series for pediatrics consists of an anteroposterior and a lateral projection. Additional projections may include the odontoid view depending on the region of interest and/or departmental protocols.
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Indications
trauma with a suspected fracture
atypical neck and cervical pain
Projections
Gonadal shielding
The use of gonadal and fetal shielding has been deemed non-beneficial to patients' health in evidence 1-3 and may or may not be useful for pediatric extremity imaging. Placing gonadal shielding can increase the examination time and may cause the child more stress.
Practical points
The major difficulty in pediatric cervical spine radiography relates to:
To overcome this, a variety of techniques can be used 4:
distract the patient with toys, games and/or conversation
using the swaddling technique; wrap the child in a blanket to promote comfort and sleep
Immobilization techniques
Children will find it difficult to keep still, therefore it is helpful to have the parent in the child's direct line of sight in order to keep the child calm.
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