Emergency Imaging
A 41-year-old woman with a surgical history of cervical fusion presented with severe posterior neck pain.
Emergency Medicine. 2015 May;47(5):225-227
May 1, 2015|Emergency Medicine
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Case
A 41-year-old woman presented to the ED with a 3-day history of posterior neck pain that radiated to the occipital region. The patient stated that the day prior to presentation, the pain had worsened to what she rated as a “9” on a pain scale of 0 to 10. The patient’s surgical history included a remote prior cervical fusion at C5-C6. A lateral radiograph of the cervical spine is shown above (Figure 1a).
What is the diagnosis? Is additional imaging necessary? If so, why?
