Clay Shoveler Fracture

  • Etiology: trauma
  • Imaging: fracture of the C6 or more commonly C7 spinous process

Cases of Clay Shoveler Fracture

CT of C7 spinous process fracture / Clay shoveler fracture
Axial and sagittal 2D reconstruction from a CT without contrast of the cervical spine shows a lucency through the middle part of the spinous process of the C7 vertebral body.
CT and MRI of C7 spinous process fracture / Clay shoveler fracture
Lateral radiograph of the cervical spine shows a lucency through the middle part of the spinous process of the C7 vertebral body. Sagittal STIR MRI without contrast of the cervical spine shows bright signal representing edema in the interspinous ligaments between the C6-C7 and C7-T1 vertebral bodies.