What Is a Neck CT Scan?

Cervical CT examination has high practical value in cervical degenerative diseases and cervical spine injuries. High-resolution CT can clearly show the morphology and structure of the spine, intervertebral disc lesions, calcification of the ligaments, and hypertrophy of the ligamentum flavum, as well as the morphology and structure of the cervical nerve root and spinal cord.

Name: Cervical spine CT examination

category: Computed tomography computed tomography

Cervical spine CT normal

The angiography is normal, the density of the nucleus pulposus is uniform and consistent with the density of the dural sac and fat layer, and there is no protrusion or deformation of the impression. The dural sac is located in the middle of the spinal canal, the surrounding fat space is low density, the spinal cord is medium density, and the low density cerebrospinal fluid is between the dural sac.

Clinical significance of cervical CT examination

Abnormal result: cervical disc herniation: The posterior edge of the disc is parallel to the edge of the bone plate. When the disc is protruding, the posterior edge of the disc is locally protruded. Because the density of the prolapsed nucleus pulposus is higher than the density of the dural sac and the fat layer, the CT Easy to judge. The location of the disc herniation can be determined using increased density of soft tissue shadows. The dural sac can be simultaneously indented and deformed by various types of protrusions. The posterior central part is prominent with clinical symptoms of spinal cord compression; the lateral highlights are symptoms of nerve root stimulation and compression, and sometimes symptoms of spinal cord compression also appear. Its severity is not directly proportional to the performance of CT images. Spinal cord injury: CT shows intraspinal hemorrhage or epidural hematoma, and also shows the movement of fractured pieces and compression of the spinal cord; syringomyelia: limited value of CT, occasionally low density cysts in the upper cervical spine, and high intravesicular protein It is of equal density; vascular malformations in the spinal canal: localized thickening of the spinal cord, uneven density, may be a little calcified, tortuous strips, masses, and sometimes thickened blood supply arteries and drainage veins.

People to be examined: Patients with cervical disc herniation.

Cervical spine examination notes

Unsuitable people: (1) People with allergies or history of allergies with ionic contrast agents (if using ionic contrast agents, iodine allergy test is required). (2) People with heart, lung, liver and kidney insufficiency. Contraindications before the examination: (1) Before the examination, the detailed medical history and the results of various examinations must be notified to the CT doctor. If you have X-rays, magnetic resonance films and previous CT films, you must give them to the CT doctor for reference. (2) Tell your doctor if you have a drug allergy or if you have allergic diseases such as asthma or urticaria. (3) The clothing to be removed from the inspection site includes underwear with metal substances and various items: headgear, hair clips, earrings, necklaces, jade pendants, coins, belts and keys. (4) For CT enhanced scans or children, unconscious, accompanied by a healthy person. (5) For CT enhanced scans, if an ionic contrast agent is used, an intravenous contrast agent iodine hypersensitivity test is required. After 20 minutes, there is no response before examination. (6) Do not take medicines containing heavy metals for 1 week, and do not perform gastrointestinal barium examination. Patients who have undergone a barium test should wait for the barium to be emptied; those who are anxious for a CT test should give a clean enema or oral laxative to make the barium complete before the CT test. Requirements during the inspection: (1) The inspection process should be performed in accordance with the doctor's password. Do not randomly move to ensure the clarity of the radiography. (2) There is a walkie-talkie on the CT machine. If there is any discomfort or abnormal situation during the inspection, the doctor should be informed immediately.

Cervical spine CT examination process

CT scan of the cervical spine should adopt different positioning measures according to different body shapes to make the shoulders sag to avoid the adverse effects of shoulder artifacts on the display of the cervical spine structure. Under the action of the high-voltage generator, the X-rays pass through a certain layer of the human body and then reach the detector. The detector obtains information from different organizations, amplifies the information, and converts it into a digital signal through an analog / digital converter. After processing by the computer, an absorption coefficient matrix is formed, and then the digital signal is converted into a video signal by a digital / analog converter, and finally a CT image is obtained.

Cervical spine CT examination related diseases

Vertebral artery traumatic embolism, cervical cervical spondylosis, pediatric cervical fusion syndrome, spinous process tenderness, transient ischemic attack, spastic torticollis, brachial plexus neuralgia, cervical spinal stenosis, cervical rib syndrome, acute Cervical disc herniation

Cervical CT examination related symptoms

Faint and heavy, pressure on the head, tightness on the head, bruising, shoulder and neck pain, thickening of the tendon sheath, stiff neck, and cervical disc herniation

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