Spinal Cord Injuries without Radiographic Abnormality at Two Pediatric Trauma Centers in Ontario

BACKGROUND: Spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality (SCIWORA) represents a traumatic myelopathy, either transient or permanent, that is not associated with visible vertebral fractures or ligamentous abnormalities on plain radiographs or CT. MRI has become essential in the diagnosis and evaluation of trauma patients and in predicting the long-term neurological outcome. METHODS: The medical charts of 578 children with vertebral trauma …