Post-traumatic Spinal Hematoma in Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis (DISH)

To determine the incidence of spinal hematoma and its relation to neurological deficit after trauma in patients with spinal ankylosis from diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH). A retrospective review of 2256 urgent or emergency MRI referrals over a period of 8 years and nine months revealed 70 DISH patients who underwent CT and MRI scans of the spine. Spinal hematoma was the primary outcome. Additional variables were spinal cord impingement, spinal cord injury (SCI), trauma mechanism, fracture type, spinal canal narrowing, treatment type, and Frankel grades during injury, before and after treatment. Two trauma radiologists reviewed MRI scans blinded to initial reports. Of 70 post-traumatic patients (54 men, median age 73, IQR 66–81) with ankylosis of the spine from DISH, 34 (49