CTs of adults with degenerative changes should be met with high suspicion for spinal cord injury following trauma

spinal cord injury on CT of patient with degenerative spinal changes

Sagittal (a) and axial (b) CT images from the cervical spine show congenital stenosis and central disc protrusion leading to severe narrowing of the central spinal canal at C3–4 level. 

Credit: Clinical Imaging

This is increasingly recognized as a potentially underreported phenomenon, accounting for roughly half of all such injuries in certain populations.