Diagnostic accuracy of Dual-Energy CT in detecting traumatic vertebral bone marrow edema: a prospective comparative study with MRI in the context of a level I trauma center

DECT offers high diagnostic accuracy for detecting traumatic vertebral bone marrow edema with substantial time and cost advantages compared to MRI. The technique demonstrates particular value in acute trauma settings, while acknowledging limitations from artifacts (19.9% of cases) primarily caused by medical devices. These findings support implementing DECT as an efficient alternative to MRI in spinal trauma diagnostics.