Computed tomography in blunt chest trauma.
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Date
2009-04
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Abstract
Objective. To assess the role of multidetector spiral CT in patients with blunt chest trauma.
Methods. Forty-two patients (38 males and four females), age range from 6 to 80 years, of blunt chest trauma were evaluated with multidetector computed tomogram (MDCT) after initial radiographs and the results were tabulated.
Results. The most common mode of injury was motor vehicle accidents (64%). On computed tomography (CT), major injuries were haemothorax (83.33%), consolidation (66.6%), rib fractures (61.90%), pneumothorax (54.76%), diaphragmatic injury (30.95%), lung contusions (28.57%), spinal injury (16.66%), lacerations (9.52%), tracheo-bronchial injury (4.76%), mediastinal haematoma (4.76%), thoracic-aortic injury (4.76%) and oesophageal injury (2.38%). Operative intervention was performed in 11 (26.19%) patients. Of these, diaphragmatic rent repair was done in seven patients (63.63%), exploratory laparotomy alone was done in two (18.18%) and resection and anastomosis and polytetrafluoroethylene graft in one patient each. Three patients each with chest wall injury, thoracic vascular injury and diaphragmatic injury died; while only one patient with lung injury died.
Conclusion. Multidetector computed tomogram is the modality of choice for rapid assessment of emergency chest trauma
patients.
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Keywords
CT, Chest, Blunt trauma, Diaphragmatic injury, Tracheo-bronchial injury
Citation
Magu Sarita, Yadav Ashok, Agarwal Shalini. Computed tomography in blunt chest trauma. The Indian Journal of Chest Diseases and Allied Sciences, 2009 Apr; 51(2): 75-81.