[How to read radiography of the traumatic spine?].

In this paper, the imaging features of traumatic injuries of the spine in an emergency department will be reviewed. Three themes are discussed. 1) Review of current indications for additional imaging work-up. Conventional radiographs are not always mandatory, especially at the cervical level since validated criteria are available from the literature. The low sensitivity of conventional radiographs often requires additional imaging by CT (bone lesions) or MRI (disk and ligamentous lesions). The degree of urgency in scheduling these different examinations will be defined by the clinical setting and risk level (low/intermediate/high) of the injury. 2) Review of imaging features associated with stable and unstable lesions. The analysis of conventional radiographs is based on biomechanical concepts. The features of the main lesions will be illustrated by clinical cases and diagrams. 3) Review of key points that must urgently be transmitted to clinicians. The preliminary radiology report is an essential document for the management of patients with traumatic injury to the spine. It will have an impact on the type of immediate management (medical, orthopedic or surgical). A final report validating the initial interpretation should, of course, soon follow.