Quiz Form

Question Date: 18/10/2023

Question: A 65-year-old man presents to the emergency department with neck pain after a fall. Short tau inversion recovery (STIR) MRI of the cervical spine shows abnormal hyperintensity within the C5 vertebra. A follow-up CT scan of the cervical spine is obtained for a dedicated examination of that level of the spine, which demonstrates a fracture of the C5 vertebra. Which of the following radiologic findings is most suggestive of a benign etiology of this fracture?

Options:

• Bone expansion
• Distinct cortical bone margins
• Heterogeneous bone marrow signal
• Pedicle involvement

Correct Answer: Distinct cortical bone margins

Explaination: The finding of indistinct cortical bone margins on imaging may be suggestive of a malignant etiology for a vertebral fracture therefore, preservation of cortical bone margins is a feature of a benign etiology. The other imaging features are suggestive of an infection or tumor as the etiology of a fracture.

Reference: Page 43,Klein JP. A practical approach to spine imaging. Continuum (Minneap Minn). 2015 Feb21(1 Spinal Cord Disorders)36-51. doi 10.121201.CON.0000461083.33500.ec. PMID 25651216.