Is a CT scan necessary to detect a broken neck/spine, or is a regular xray sufficient?

It might injure the area further to do the manipulations necessary for clean x-rays. Whereas, with a cat scan the spine can stay immobilized.

I’d ask your doctor. Since CT Scans can be 3D, they tell, I believe, a more complete story. link

According to this website, x-ray is the standard diagnostic test, but CT is used for certain populations (intoxicated, unconscious, uncooperative, etc.).

I would not feel safe having a doc make a diagnosis with xrays on a potentially serious spine injury.

The CT has a significant amount more detail, allowing a radiologist to review the spine slice by slice up the spinal column, allowing them to review disc by disc. Also through one scan, you can see the spine from multiple planes (axial, sagittal, coronal, transverse) without having to toss the patient every which way, and the reconstructions can give additional insight.

Xrays by comparison only give limited overviews of the patient’s spine, and the quality is subject to technician tequnique, and the ability/willingness for the patient to cooperate. There isn’t enough detail there to ensure that something won’t be missed, especially if it’s a small fracture.

@Cupcake Your link was very helpful. It caused me to look up some more info, because I did not know some of the vocabulary on your link, and the subsequent websites made me better understand why CT’s probably were done on me.

@JLeslie :) I’m glad. Did you have a bad experience with your CT?

@Cupcake I am very against needless xrays. Some of the apathy in the medical community regarding the possible risk makes me sick. I refuse scans at the airport, I only get dental xrays about once every two years. I just had my head, neck, chest, abdomin, and pelvis scanned, a couple areas twice because it was done a second time with contrast, plus additional regular xrays for shoulders, a hand, and knee. I just wanted to know how necessary they really were. Some of the CT’s I agree needed to be done, but others I don’t. The neck, since it is such a scary prospect to have a fracture there, I just wanted to know more about the need for it. I am really upset about the head and pelvis CT, I don’t think it was necessary. I even question the chest and abdomin, because as far as I know you can’t do much for a fractured rib, and I did not have any signs of internal bleeding. I think I could have waited to see. They did not CT me until almost 3 hours after my accident, if I was bleeding I think they would have known.

I hear you. I felt cornered into VQ scans during my pregnancy… the thought makes me sick.

CT scan is better than regular x-rays.