Small Rotational Changes of the Chest on Portable Chest Films Produce Large Displacements of Test Projectiles in the Cardiac Box.

The cardiac box has been used to guide the management of trauma patients for decades. However, improper imaging can lead to erroneous assumptions about operative management in this patient population. In this study, we used a thoracic model to demonstrate imaging's effect on chest radiography. The data demonstrate that even small changes in rotation can lead to large discrepancies in results.