Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41508580›Full record

ArticleNeurospine2025

Epidemiology and Screening of Traumatic Vertebral Artery Injuries at a Large Scandinavian Level 1 Trauma Center.

Paulina Cewe, Victor E Staartjes, Victor Gabriel El-Hajj, Ihab Ahmad Al-Rikabi, Basel Musmar, Joana M Roy, Dennis Troung, Mats Beckman, Marcus Ohlsson, Pascal Jabbour and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Neurospine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Paulina CeweDepartment of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Victor E StaartjesDepartment of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Victor Gabriel El-HajjDepartment of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Ihab Ahmad Al-RikabiDepartment of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Basel MusmarDepartment of Neurosurgery, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Joana M RoyDepartment of Neurosurgery, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Dennis TroungDepartment of Trauma and Musculoskeletal Radiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Mats BeckmanDepartment of Trauma and Musculoskeletal Radiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Marcus OhlssonDepartment of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Pascal JabbourDepartment of Neurosurgery, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Adrian Elmi-TeranderDepartment of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Erik EdströmDepartment of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTraumatic vertebral artery injuries (tVAIs) are uncommon but potentially devastating if missed. While computed tomography angiography (CTA) is routinely used for diagnosis, data on the number needed to image (NNI) remain limited. We hence analyzed tVAI epidemiology and imaging practices at a major Scandinavian level 1 trauma center.

methodsA retrospective study (2013-2020) was performed based on a single-center trauma registry. Patients were grouped based on CTA imaging protocol used; selective screening (2013-2017) and universal screening (2018-2020). Imaging protocols, treatment strategies, and outcomes were analyzed.

resultsAmong 2,843 patients admitted with level 1 trauma and receiving CTA imaging, 62 had a tVAI (2.2%) yielding a NNI of 46 patients to diagnose 1 tVAI. Twenty-five of these patients (40.3%) were found to have a posterior circulation stroke, resulting in an incidence of 0.9%, and a NNI of 114 to diagnose 1 stroke on CTA. NNIs for both tVAI and stroke detection increased with adoption of universal screening (tVAI: 35→65; stroke: 90→149). However, the detection rate of tVAI during the universal screening period was not significantly higher than during the selective screening period (p=0.261).

conclusionIn our level 1 trauma cohort, the incidence of tVAI was 2.2% and stroke rate 0.9%. The NNI rose with universal screening, yet detection rates did not improve. These findings suggest that selective screening based on risk factors may be more efficient than a universal approach. Further research is needed to balance diagnostic accuracy with resource use in trauma care.

Indexed as

AngiographyBlunt cervical vascular injuryCervical spineComputed tomographyTraumaVertebral artery

Identifiers

PMID41508580
PMCPMC12784018

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.