Blunt abdominal trauma: current imaging techniques and CT findings in patients with solid organ, bowel, and mesenteric injury.

Imaging plays a critical role in the evaluation of patients with blunt abdominal trauma. In most institutions, computed tomography (CT) is the modality of choice when evaluating such patients. The purpose of this review is to highlight current techniques in trauma imaging and to review CT findings associated with solid organ, bowel, mesenteric, and diaphragmatic injury.

Blunt abdominal trauma: utility of 5-minute delayed CT with a reduced radiation dose.

Purpose: To retrospectively evaluate the utility of 5-minute delayed computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen and pelvis by using a reduced radiation dose in patients with blunt abdominal trauma.

Materials And Methods: Institutional review board consent was obtained, and written informed consent was waived. The study was HIPAA compliant.

Evaluation of blunt abdominal trauma using PACS-based 2D and 3D MDCT reformations of the lumbar spine and pelvis.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to show the value of 2D and 3D reformations of CT data from abdominal and pelvic CT performed immediately at the workstation using a PACS-based software program to evaluate the lumbar spine and pelvis in patients with blunt abdominal trauma.

Materials And Methods: We reviewed the abdominopelvic CT scans and conventional radiographs of the lumbar spine or pelvis of 156 consecutive patients with blunt abdominal trauma. The CT data were compared with the radiographic findings and also with the findings of dedicated repeat CT of the spine or pelvis, when performed.

Impact of MDCT angiography on the use of catheter angiography for the assessment of cervical arterial injury after blunt or penetrating trauma.

Objective: The objective of our study was to assess the impact of the increasing use of MDCT angiography in the setting of blunt and penetrating neck trauma on the use of digital subtraction angiography (DSA) at our institution, a level 1 trauma center.

Materials And Methods: From January 2001 to December 2003, 57 patients were referred for CT angiography or DSA of the neck after blunt or penetrating neck trauma. All CT angiograms were acquired with a 4-MDCT scanner.

Use of 3D imaging in CT of the acute trauma patient: impact of a PACS-based software package.

To evaluate the impact of a picture archiving and communication systems (PACS)-based software package on the requests for 3D reconstructions of multidetector CT (MDCT) data sets in the emergency radiology of a level 1 trauma center, we reviewed the number and type of physician requests for 3D reconstructions of MDCT data sets for patients admitted after sustaining multiple trauma, during a 12-month period (January 2003-December 2003). During the first 5 months of the study, 3D reconstructions were performed in dedicated workstations located separately from the emergency radiology CT interpretation area. During the last 7 months of the study, reconstructions were performed online by the attending radiologist or resident on duty, using a software package directly incorporated into the PACS workstations.

Mesenteric lymph nodes seen at imaging: causes and significance.

With the advent of multidetector computed tomography, routine evaluation of mesenteric lymph nodes is now possible. For the first time, normal mesenteric nodes may be reliably identified noninvasively. Because of the increasing volume of cross-sectional imaging examinations being performed, lymph nodes in the mesentery are being detected with increasing frequency.

Pancreas divisum: depiction with multi-detector row CT.

Purpose: To retrospectively evaluate contrast material-enhanced multi-detector row computed tomography (CT) in the depiction of pancreas divisum.

Materials And Methods: This study was approved by the investigational review board. Seventy-seven patients (46 men and 31 women; mean age, 51 years) underwent CT with a four-detector row scanner and endoscopic retrograde pancreatography (ERP).

Mesenteric lymph nodes: detection and significance on MDCT.

Objective: Unsuspected mesenteric lymph nodes are frequently found on abdominal CT scans in everyday clinical practice. What to do with these findings has not been well established. The purpose of this study is to document the incidence of mesenteric lymph nodes in a previously healthy population and to provide guidelines for further management.

Blunt abdominal trauma: performance of CT without oral contrast material.

Purpose: To retrospectively evaluate multi-detector row computed tomography (CT) without oral contrast material for depiction of bowel and mesenteric injuries that require surgical repair in patients with blunt abdominal trauma.

Materials And Methods: The investigational review board approved the study. Informed consent was waived.

Blunt trauma of the pancreas and biliary tract: a multimodality imaging approach to diagnosis.

Injuries of the pancreas, gallbladder, and bile ducts due to blunt trauma are relatively uncommon and difficult to detect but are associated with high morbidity and mortality, especially if diagnosis is delayed. Accurate and early diagnosis is imperative, and imaging plays a key role in detection. Knowledge of the mechanisms of injury, the types of injuries, and the roles of various imaging modalities is essential for prompt and accurate diagnosis.