CT Spine General - Video Lesson

Welcome back. This protocol review is about routine CT imaging of the spine. In CT, we can image all three sections of the spine. The cervical spine, the thoracic spine, and the lumbar spine. Unfortunately, all of these protocols are very similar. In this lesson, we'll be discussing all three levels of the spine and noting some of the unique differences between each protocol. There are some specific reasons that we would perform CT imaging of the spine. Some obvious reasons are pain fracture, injury, or some other indication that would make us suspicious of bony injuries in the spine. We would not perform routine imaging of the spine for suspected spinal stenosis. In that situation, we would want a myelogram so that we can evaluate impingement of the spinal cord Another reason that we would not perform routine imaging of the spine is for tumors or other kinds of lesions or