Penetrating diaphragmatic injury: accuracy of 64-section multidetector CT with trajectography.

PURPOSE: To (a) determine the diagnostic performance of 64-section multidetector computed tomography (CT) trajectography for penetrating diaphragmatic injury (PDI), (b) determine the diagnostic performance of classic signs of diaphragmatic injury at 64-section multidetector CT, and (c) compare the performance of these signs with that of trajectography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This HIPAA-compliant retrospective study had institutional review board approval, with a waiver of the informed consent requirement. All patients who had experienced penetrating thoracoabdominal trauma, who had undergone preoperative 64-section multidetector CT of the chest and abdomen, and who had surgical confirmation of findings during a 2.5-year period were included in this study (25 male patients, two female patients; mean age, 32.6 years). After a training session, four trauma radiologists unaware of the surgical outcome independently reviewed all CT studies and scored the probability of PDI on a six-point scale. Collar sign, dependent viscera sign, herniation, contiguous injury on both sides of the diaphragm, discontinuous diaphragm sign, and transdiaphragmatic trajectory were evaluated for sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value (NPV), and positive predictive value (PPV). Accuracies were determined and receiver operating characteristic curves were analyzed. RESULTS: Sensitivities for detection of PDI by using 64-section multidetector CT with postprocessing software ranged from 73% to 100%, specificities ranged from 50% to 92%, NPVs ranged from 71% to 100%, PPVs ranged from 68% to 92%, and accuracies ranged from 70% to 89%. Discontinuous diaphragm, herniation, collar, and dependent viscera signs were highly specific (92%-100%) but nonsensitive (0%-60%). Contiguous injury was generally more sensitive (80%-93% vs 73%-100%) but less specific (50%-67% vs 83%-92%) than transdiaphragmatic trajectory when patients with multiple entry wounds were included in the analysis. Transdiaphragmatic trajectory was a much more sensitive sign of PDI than previously reported (73%-100% vs 36%), with NPVs ranging from 71% to 100% and PPVs ranging from 85% to 92%. CONCLUSION: Sixty-four-section multidetector CT trajectography facilitates the identification of transdiaphragmatic trajectory, which accurately rules in PDI when identified. Contiguous injury remains a highly sensitive sign, even when patients with multiple injuries are considered, and is useful for excluding PDI.

Penetrating wounds to the torso: evaluation with triple-contrast multidetector CT.

Penetrating injuries account for a large percentage of visits to emergency departments and trauma centers worldwide. Emergency laparotomy is the accepted standard of care in patients with a penetrating torso injury who are not hemodynamically stable and have a clinical indication for exploratory laparotomy, such as evisceration or gastrointestinal bleeding. Continuous advances in technology have made computed tomography (CT) an indispensable tool in the evaluation of many patients who are hemodynamically stable, have no clinical indication for exploratory laparotomy, and are candidates for conservative treatment. Multidetector CT may depict the trajectory of a penetrating injury and help determine what type of intervention is necessary on the basis of findings such as active arterial extravasation and major vascular, hollow viscus, or diaphragmatic injuries. Because multidetector CT plays an increasing role in the evaluation of patients with penetrating wounds to the torso, the radiologists who interpret these studies should be familiar with the CT findings that mandate intervention.

Evaluation of penetrating abdominal and pelvic trauma.

Penetrating abdominal trauma comprises a wide variety of injuries that will manifest themselves at imaging depending on the distinct mechanism of injury. The use of computed tomography (CT) for hemodynamically stable victims of penetrating torso trauma continues to increase in clinical practice allowing more patients to undergo initial selective non-surgical management. High diagnostic accuracy in this setting helps patients avoid unnecessary surgical intervention and ultimately reduce morbidity, mortality and associated medical costs. This review will present the evidence and the controversies surrounding the imaging of patients with penetrating abdominopelvic injuries. Available protocols, current MDCT technique controversies, organ-specific injuries, and key MDCT findings requiring intervention in patients with penetrating abdominal and pelvic trauma are presented. In the hemodynamically stable patient, the radiologist will play a key role in the triage of these patients to operative or nonoperative management.

Screening multidetector computed tomography angiography in the evaluation on blunt neck injuries: an evidence-based approach.

Blunt cerebrovascular injuries (BCVI) can cause ischemic stroke and are associated with high mortality rates. These injuries may have an initial silent course and if recognized in a timely fashion can be treated before neurologic deficit occurs. This has led to the growing implementation of aggressive screening programs to detect and thereby treat BCVI early, before onset of symptoms. Digital subtraction angiography is the diagnostic reference standard for diagnosing BCVI. However, in recent years, there has been a renewed interest in the use of noninvasive techniques, such as multidetector computed tomography angiography (MDCTA) for the evaluation of these patients. The accuracy of MDCTA with respect to digital subtraction angiography is not completely elucidated; however, MDCTA shows a level of accuracy sufficient to serve as an initial screening examination for blunt cerebrovascular injuries.

Penetrating Thoracic Injury.

This article discusses the role of radiology in evaluating patients with penetrating injuries to the chest. Penetrating injuries to the chest encompass ballistic and nonballistic injuries and can involve superficial soft tissues of the chest wall, lungs and pleura, diaphragm, and mediastinum. The mechanism of injury in ballistic and nonballistic trauma and the impact the injury trajectory has on imaging evaluation of penetrating injuries to the chest are discussed. The article presents the broad spectrum of imaging findings a radiologist encounters with penetrating injuries to the chest, with emphasis on injuries to the lungs and pleura, diaphragm, and mediastinum.