The Rheumatoid Cervical Spine: Signs of Instability on Plain Cervical Radiographs

The cervical spine is a common focus of destruction from rheumatoid arthritis, second only to the metacarpophalangeal joints. Joint, bone and ligament damage in the cervical spine leads to subluxations which can cause cervical cord compression resulting in paralysis and even sudden death. Because ma...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Clinical Radiology Vol. 57; no. 4; pp. 241 - 249
Main Authors:	Roche, Clare J., Eyes, Brian E., Whitehouse, Graham H.
Format:	Book Review Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Amsterdam Elsevier Ltd 01-04-2002 Elsevier
Subjects:	Atlanto-Axial Joint - diagnostic imaging Atlanto-Axial Joint - injuries Biological and medical sciences Cervical Vertebrae - diagnostic imaging Cervical Vertebrae - injuries Diseases of the osteoarticular system Humans Inflammatory joint diseases Joint Dislocations - diagnostic imaging Joint Instability - diagnostic imaging Joint Instability - etiology Medical sciences Radiography rheumatoid arthritis spine, arthritis of the spine, radiography of the spine, abnormalities of the atlas and axis Spondylitis, Ankylosing - complications Spondylitis, Ankylosing - diagnostic imaging rheumatoid arthritis spine, arthritis of the spine, radiography of the spine, abnormalities of the atlas and axis Human Plain film Immunopathology Radiodiagnosis Radiologic sign Diseases of the osteoarticular system Autoimmune disease Inflammatory joint disease Spine disease Atlantoaxial Image analysis Chronic Rheumatoid arthritis Medical imagery Complication Instability Diagnosis Cervical spine
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Summary:	The cervical spine is a common focus of destruction from rheumatoid arthritis, second only to the metacarpophalangeal joints. Joint, bone and ligament damage in the cervical spine leads to subluxations which can cause cervical cord compression resulting in paralysis and even sudden death. Because many patients with significant subluxations are asymptomatic, the radiologist plays a key role in recognizing the clinically important clues to instability on plain radiographs of the cervical spine–often difficult in rheumatoid arthritis when the bony landmarks are osteoporotic or eroded. This review focuses on the signs of instability on plain radiographs of the cervical spine, using diagrams and clinical examples to illustrate methods of identifying significant subluxations in rheumatoid arthritis. Roche, C. J., Eyes, B. E. and Whitehouse, G. H. (2002)Clinical Radiology57, 241–249.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-3 content type line 23 ObjectType-Review-1
ISSN:	0009-9260 1365-229X
DOI:	10.1053/crad.2001.0745