BOAST - Assessment of the Spine in the Trauma Patient


Date Published: April 2025
Background
This guideline describes the clinical and radiological standards for assessment following blunt spinal injury and outlines temporary
protective measures until these have been completed.
Exclusion:
Penetrating spinal column injury confirmed on imaging, which mandates immediate referral to a spinal surgical team.
Standards for Practice
- A spinal immobilisation protocol (including collars, log rolling and patient transfers) must be in place across all trauma networks and apply to all prehospital and hospital services.
- Spinal injury should be assumed in all patients and spinal immobilisation and precautions must continue until excluded by clinical assessment and appropriate imaging.
- For patients with cervical kyphosis in ankylosing spondylitis, their usual spinal position must be maintained and supported whilst immobilised in line.
- The following should heighten the index of suspicion for spinal injury, and their presence or absence should be documented *:
• Age and comorbidities (including osteoporosis and ankylosing spondylitis)
• Mechanism of injury
• Pain or neurological symptoms on sitting, standing or walking if no other symptoms or signs are present.
• Inability to rotate the cervical spine 45 degrees if no other symptoms or signs are present
• Pain, tenderness and neurological features with the patient supine and log rolled
- If general clinical or neurological assessment is abnormal, spine precautions must continue until discussion with the regional spinal service as defined by the Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) BOASt.
- Computed Tomography (CT)
• Multidetector CT remains the initial modality for imaging a traumatic spine injury. A slice thickness of 0.5mm is optimal for the cervical spine, and 0.5mm to 1.0mm or the remaining spine
• Fracture, subluxation or ligamentous injury of the cervical spine requires CT angiography to exclude blunt cerebrovascular injury (Denver criteria)
• Whole-body trauma CT (pan-scan) should include cervical spine imaging
• Brain CT for head injury should include occiput to T4 with sagittal and coronal reconstructions
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (including Axial, Sagittal, Coronal reconstructions with STIR T1 and T2 sequences) is an alternative in any patient with:
• Contraindications to ionising radiation (e.g. pregnancy)
• Suspicion of, or inability to exclude injury due to clinical status (e.g. unconscious)
• Ambiguous CT findings
• Neurological symptoms or signs or suspected spinal cord injury (See SCI BOAST).
• Spinal ankylosis with pain or indeterminate CT appearances
- An initial report of spine imaging by a suitably qualified radiologist should be available within one hour and a definitive report within 24 hours of injury.
- If a fracture is to be treated non-operatively, the decision-making team should specify the degree of stability of the fracture and details of the planned non-operative management, such as use of collar/ brace, including duration, care and changing procedures.
- A clear treatment plan including follow up arrangements must be included in the medical records and made available to the patient.
* See NICE NG41