Modified Denver screening criteria for blunt cerebrovascular injury

The modified Denver screening criteria for blunt cerebrovascular injury are used to identify patients requiring angiographic screening for cervico-encephalic arterial dissection after craniocervical trauma, and are widely used in clinical practice today. It should be noted, however, that there is no solid evidence of any difference in diagnostic performance between the original Denver criteria, the modified criteria or even the extended modified criteria (far too broad in our opinion). The choice of whether to use one or the other is therefore a matter for each practitioner to decide.

These criteria can be downloaded in pdf :

Modified Denver criteria

  See detailed article: Craniocervical arterial dissection

See Head trauma

Bibliography

Arthurs ZM et al., Blunt carotid and vertebral artery injuries, Injury, 2008, 39:1232–41

Biffl WL et al., Optimizing screening for blunt cerebrovascular injuries, Am J Surg, 1999, 178(6):517-22

Bromberg WJ et al., Blunt cerebrovascular injury practice management guidelines: the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, J Trauma, 2010, 68(2):471-7

Cothren CC et al., Cervical spine fracture patterns mandating screening to rule out blunt cerebrovascular injury, Surgery, 2007, 141(1):76-82

Miller PR et al., Prospective screening for blunt cerebrovascular injuries: Analysis of diagnostic modalities and outcomes, Ann Surg, 2002, 236:386–93

Nagpal P et al., Blunt Cerebrovascular Injuries: Advances in Screening, Imaging, and Management Trends, American Journal of Neuroradiology March 2018, 39 (3) 406-414

Wagner MJ et al., Comparing the Denver criteria sets for blunt trauma: a retrospective study of cases in Edmonton, Alberta, Br J Radiol, 2023 Aug; 96(1148): 20221116