64-MDCT angiography of blunt vascular injuries of the neck.

OBJECTIVE: CT angiography (CTA) using 64-MDCT enables timely evaluation of injuries associated with blunt neck trauma. The purpose of this article is to familiarize the reader with the most frequent CTA signs of blunt vascular injury. CONCLUSION: CTA is a valuable tool to detect blunt vascular injuries, especially using its multiplanar and 3D reconstruction capabilities.

Multidetector row computed tomography in the management of penetrating neck injuries.

Penetrating neck trauma may occur from gun shots, stabbings, and accidental injury. Approximately 50% of gunshot and 10%-20% of stab-wound patients are reported as having severe injuries and the mortality from severe vascular injuries is reported as high as 50%. Penetrating traumatic neck injury is no longer best managed with exploratory surgery or conventional angiography in the stable patient. Computed tomography angiography has proven to be a useful, safe, and reliable means of diagnosis. Experience with interpreting and reconstructing computed tomography images, understanding the clinically important findings, and avoiding pitfalls is critical for successful patient care. Therefore, radiologists and clinicians who treat trauma patients need to familiarize themselves with the computed tomography angiography technique and appearances of vascular injury and know when to recommend further evaluation, such as interventional angiography or open surgery.

Evaluation of non-lead-based protective radiological material in spinal surgery.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Traditionally, lead-based garments are the standard method of intraoperative radiation protection during fluoroscopy. Unfortunately, the lead used is heavy, lacks durability, is difficult to launder, and its disposal is associated with environmental hazards. PURPOSE: An evaluation of the protective radiation efficiency of three commercially available radiation protective garments compared with a standardized lead protective shield. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING: Measured radiation transmission through lead and three commercially available lightweight radiological protective garments (Xenolite, EarthSafe, and Demron) was performed using a standard, calibrated dosimeter. METHODS: Radiation transmission, attenuation, lead equivalencies as well as garment weight comparisons were measured. The tests were repeated through a range of voltage and tube current settings that are common to clinical radiological applications (60-120 keV). RESULTS: All materials tested demonstrated effectiveness at common clinically relevant energy exposures (100 keV). EarthSafe and Xenolite demonstrated 0.5 mm lead equivalency protection at 80 and 100 keV X-ray energies but not at higher energy levels (>100 keV), which is where most radiological procedures are performed utilizing more advanced technological imaging equipment. Demron was best able to effectively shield ionizing radiation at higher energy levels (>100 keV). The lightweight nature of these lead-free materials may result in less fatigue and musculoskeletal complaints by the wearer. CONCLUSIONS: Of the tested lead-free garments, Demron appears to offer equivalent levels of protection to standard lead-based shields within traditional energy zones but with less weight than standard lead-based shields.

Inter- and intrarater reliability in computed axial tomographic grading of splenic injury: why so many grading scales?

OBJECTIVE: After splenic trauma, critical decisions regarding operative intervention are often made with the aid of computed axial tomographic (CT) scan findings. No CT scan-based grading scale has been demonstrated to predict accurately which patients require operative or radiologic intervention for their splenic injuries. We hypothesized that use of the most common grading scale, the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma scale, would be associated with low intra- and interreliability scores. We assessed the ability of experienced trauma radiologists to differentiate grade III from grade IV splenic injuries. METHODS: The films of patients who had undergone abdominal CT scanning before splenectomy for grade III or IV injuries were serially evaluated by four trauma radiology faculty weekly for 3 weeks. We assessed intra- and interrater reliability for grading and for presence of contrast blush. RESULTS: Intrarater reproducibility yielded a weighted kappa score of 0.15 to 0.77. Interrater reliability weighted kappa scores ranged from 0 to 0.84, with a mean value of 0.23. CONCLUSION: CT imaging is not reliable for identifying grades III and IV splenic injury, as experienced radiologists often underestimate the magnitude of injury. Interrater reliability is poor. Factors other than the CT grade of splenic injury should determine whether patients require operative or angiographic therapy.