Purpose or Case Report: The incidence of cervical spine injuries is much less common in pediatric patients compared to their adult counterparts; however, these injuries result in more severe morbidity and mortality in the pediatric population, with increased rates of permanent neurological damage and death not uncommon. Understanding the physiology and anatomy as well as the clinical presentation of different pathologies is an essential skill when evaluating cervical spine injuries. Imaging the pediatric population presents challenges with variant anatomy and unique injury presentations on imaging. Here, we establish a search pattern for cervical spine imaging and review common pitfalls radiologists will encounter when reviewing cervical spine imaging in the setting of trauma.

CONTENT ORGANIZATION:
1) Epidemiology of pediatric cervical spine injuries.
2) Overview of the pediatric cervical spine with focus on developmental anatomy, common variants and physiologic considerations.
3) Review of search pattern considerations for cervical spine imaging.
4) Imaging examples of traumatic cervical spine injuries with illustration of critical findings and avoidable pitfalls.
5) Brief review of the role of the radiologist when reviewing cervical spine injuries.

SUMMARY:
This exhibit will provide education on important anatomy, imaging findings and pitfalls to avoid when reviewing cervical spine trauma imaging in pediatric patients. Teaching points will include:
1) Normal versus variant anatomy of the cervical spine.
2) Vital anatomical locations to review in the setting of cervical spine injury.
3) Detection of imaging features significant for cervical spine injuries using a wide variety of unique cases.
4) Effectively identifying and reporting the type and extent of the injury.
Methods & Materials:
Results:
Conclusions: