The Japanese Urological Association's clinical practice guidelines for urotrauma 2023.

The Japanese Urological Association's guidelines for the treatment of renal trauma were published in 2016. In conjunction with its revision, herein, we present the new guidelines for overall urotrauma. Its purpose is to provide standard diagnostic and treatment recommendations for urotrauma, including iatrogenic trauma, to preserve organ function and minimize complications and fatality. The guidelines committee comprised urologists with experience in urotrauma care, selected by the Trauma and Emergency Medicine Subcommittee of the Specialty Area Committee of the Japanese Urological Association, and specialists recommended by the Japanese Association for the Surgery of Trauma and the Japanese Society of Interventional Radiology. The guidelines committee established the domains of renal and ureteral, bladder, urethral, and genital trauma, and determined the lead person for each domain. A total of 30 clinical questions (CQs) were established for all domains; 15 for renal and ureteral trauma and five each for the other domains. An extensive literature search was conducted for studies published between January 1, 1983 and July 16, 2020, based on the preset keywords for each CQ. Since only few randomized controlled trials or meta-analyses were found on urotrauma clinical practice, conducting a systematic review and summarizing the evidence proved challenging; hence, the grade of recommendation was determined according to the 2007 "Minds Handbook for Clinical Practice Guidelines" based on a consensus reached by the guidelines committee. We hope that these guidelines will be useful for clinicians in their daily practice, especially those involved in urotrauma care.

Successful thrombolytic therapy with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator in ischemic stroke after idarucizumab administration for reversal of dabigatran: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Idarucizumab is a specific antidote for the anticoagulant dabigatran. Although its efficacy has been recently reported, the drug is still in postmarketing surveillance and requires case data in different emergency settings. A newer intravenous thrombolytic therapy with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator has been proposed after injection of idarucizumab in patients receiving dabigatran; however, the safety and efficacy of this therapy are equivocal because of the limited number of reported cases. We describe a case of a patient with acute lacunar stroke causing dysarthria and hemiparesis successfully treated with intravenous thrombolytic therapy with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator after reversal of dabigatran with idarucizumab. CASE PRESENTATION: A 67-year-old Asian woman was transferred to our emergency center 200 minutes after sudden onset of dysarthria and right-sided hemiparesis. She had been taking dabigatran for prevention of stroke recurrence caused by atrial fibrillation. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging revealed a new lacunar infarction near old putamen infarctions. We treated her with intravenous thrombolytic therapy with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator after administering idarucizumab. The time to recombinant tissue plasminogen activator administration was 5 minutes from idarucizumab injection and 269 minutes from symptom onset. The patient's activated partial thromboplastin times were 68.0 and 43.2 seconds before and after the therapy, respectively. The patient's neurological symptoms improved significantly after the treatment, and she experienced no adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous thrombolytic therapy with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator after reversal of dabigatran with idarucizumab may be safe and feasible in patients with acute ischemic stroke with lacunar infarct. Furthermore, intravenous thrombolytic therapy with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator could be used in patients in emergency settings until just before the end of the recommended time limit within which it needs to be administered because of the immediate effect of idarucizumab.

Hyperfibrinolysis in severe isolated traumatic brain injury may occur without tissue hypoperfusion: a retrospective observational multicentre study.

BACKGROUND: Hyperfibrinolysis is a critical complication in severe trauma. Hyperfibrinolysis is traditionally diagnosed via elevated D-dimer or fibrin/fibrinogen degradation product levels, and recently, using thromboelastometry. Although hyperfibrinolysis is observed in patients with severe isolated traumatic brain injury (TBI) on arrival at the emergency department (ED), it is unclear which factors induce hyperfibrinolysis. The present study aimed to investigate the factors associated with hyperfibrinolysis in patients with isolated severe TBI. METHODS: We conducted a multicentre retrospective review of data for adult trauma patients with an injury severity score ≥ 16, and selected patients with isolated TBI (TBI group) and extra-cranial trauma (non-TBI group). The TBI group included patients with an abbreviated injury score (AIS) for the head ≥ 4 and an extra-cranial AIS < 2. The non-TBI group included patients with an extra-cranial AIS ≥ 3 and head AIS < 2. Hyperfibrinolysis was defined as a D-dimer level ≥ 38 mg/L on arrival at the ED. We evaluated the relationships between hyperfibrinolysis and injury severity/tissue injury/tissue perfusion in TBI patients by comparing them with non-TBI patients. RESULTS: We enrolled 111 patients in the TBI group and 126 in the non-TBI group. In both groups, patients with hyperfibrinolysis had more severe injuries and received transfusion more frequently than patients without hyperfibrinolysis. Tissue injury, evaluated on the basis of lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase levels, was associated with hyperfibrinolysis in both groups. Among patients with TBI, the mortality rate was higher in those with hyperfibrinolysis than in those without hyperfibrinolysis. Tissue hypoperfusion, evaluated on the basis of lactate level, was associated with hyperfibrinolysis in only the non-TBI group. Although the increase in lactate level was correlated with the deterioration of coagulofibrinolytic variables (prolonged prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time, decreased fibrinogen levels, and increased D-dimer levels) in the non-TBI group, no such correlation was observed in the TBI group. CONCLUSIONS: Hyperfibrinolysis is associated with tissue injury and trauma severity in TBI and non-TBI patients. However, tissue hypoperfusion is associated with hyperfibrinolysis in non-TBI patients, but not in TBI patients. Tissue hypoperfusion may not be a prerequisite for the occurrence of hyperfibrinolysis in patients with isolated TBI.

Fibrinogen level on admission is a predictor for massive transfusion in patients with severe blunt trauma: Analyses of a retrospective multicentre observational study.

INTRODUCTION: In the early phase of trauma, fibrinogen (Fbg) plays an important role in clot formation. However, to the best of our knowledge, few studies have analysed methods of predicting the need for massive transfusion (MT) based on Fbg levels using multiple logistic regression. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate whether Fbg levels on admission can be used to predict the need for MT in patients with trauma. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective multicentre observational study. Patients with blunt trauma with ISS ≥16 who were admitted to 15 tertiary emergency and critical care centres in Japan participating in the J-OCTET were enrolled in the present study. MT was defined as the transfusion of packed red blood cells (PRBC) ≥10 units or death caused by bleeding within 24h after admission. Patients were divided into non-MT and MT groups. Multiple logistic-regression analysis was used to assess the predictive value of the variables age, sex, vital signs, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, and Fbg levels for MT. We also evaluated the discrimination threshold of MT prediction via receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis for each variable. RESULTS: Higher heart rate (HR; per 10 beats per minutes [bpm]), systolic blood pressure (SBP; per 10mm Hg), GCS, and Fbg levels (per 10mg/dL) were independent predictors of MT (odds ratio [OR] 1.480, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.326-1.668; OR 0.851, 95% CI 0.789-0.914; OR 0.907, 95% CI 0.855-0.962; and OR 0.931, 95% CI 0.898-0.963, respectively). The optimal cut-off values for HR, SBP, GCS, and Fbg levels were ≥100 bpm (sensitivity 62.4%, specificity 79.8%), ≤120mm Hg (sensitivity 61.5%, specificity 70.5%), ≤12 points (sensitivity 63.3%, specificity 63.6%), and ≤190mg/dL (sensitivity 55.1%, specificity 78.6%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that vital signs, GCS, and decreased Fbg levels can be regarded as predictors of MT. Therefore, future studies should consider Fbg levels when devising models for the prediction of MT.

Early post-traumatic splenic arteriovenous fistula in the pancreatic arcade: Diagnosis by volume-rendered 3D reconstruction images.

Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) of splenic vessels is rare. It is most commonly caused by spontaneous rupture of an extant splenic artery aneurysm into an adjacent vein, or by traumatic or iatrogenic pseudoaneurysm. Blunt abdominal trauma can sometimes lead to vascular damage to spleen, resulting in AVF formation. Presently described is case of an elderly patient with high-grade splenic injury. Early post-traumatic AVF was detected by volume-rendered 3D reconstruction using fused arterial and venous phase computed tomography (CT) images.

Development of Novel Criteria of the "Lethal Triad" as an Indicator of Decision Making in Current Trauma Care: A Retrospective Multicenter Observational Study in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the utility of the conventional lethal triad in current trauma care practice and to develop novel criteria as indicators of treatment strategy. DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. SETTINGS: Fifteen acute critical care medical centers in Japan. PATIENTS: In total, 796 consecutive trauma patients who were admitted to emergency departments with an injury severity score of greater than or equal to 16 from January 2012 to December 2012. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: All data were retrospectively collected, including laboratory data on arrival. Sensitivities to predict trauma death within 28 days of prothrombin time international normalized ratio greater than 1.50, pH less than 7.2, and body temperature less than 35°C were 15.7%, 17.5%, and 15.9%, respectively, and corresponding specificities of these were 96.4%, 96.6%, and 93.6%, respectively. The best predictors associated with hemostatic disorder and acidosis were fibrin/fibrinogen degradation product and base excess (the cutoff values were 88.8 µg/mL and -3.05 mmol/L). The optimal cutoff value of hypothermia was 36.0°C. The impact of the fibrin/fibrinogen degradation product and base excess abnormality on the outcome were approximately three- and two-folds compared with those of hypothermia. Using these variables, if the patient had a hemostatic disorder alone or a combined disorder with acidosis and hypothermia, the sensitivity and specificity were 80.7% and 66.8%. CONCLUSIONS: Because of the low sensitivity and high specificity, conventional criteria were unsuitable as prognostic indicators. Our revised criteria are assumed to be useful for predicting trauma death and have the potential to be the objective indicators for activating the damage control strategy in early trauma care.

Can Early Aggressive Administration of Fresh Frozen Plasma Improve Outcomes in Patients with Severe Blunt Trauma?--A Report by the Japanese Association for the Surgery of Trauma.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the effect of a high ratio of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) to red blood cells (RBCs) within the first 6 and 24  h after admission on mortality in patients with severe, blunt trauma. METHODS: This retrospective observational study included 189 blunt trauma patients with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) ≥16 requiring RBC transfusions within the first 24  h. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to calculate cut-off values of the FFP/RBC ratio for outcome. The patients were then divided into two groups according to the cut-off value. Patient survival was compared between groups using propensity score matching (PSM). RESULTS: The area under the ROC curve was 0.57, and the FFP/RBC ratio was 1.0 at maximum sensitivity (0.57) and specificity (0.67). All patients were then divided into two groups (FFP/RBC ratio ≥1 or <1) and analyzed using PSM and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW). The unadjusted hazard ratio (HR) was 0.44, and the adjusted HR was 0.29. The HR was 0.38 by PSM and 0.41 by IPTW. The survival rate was significantly higher in patients with an FFP/RBC ratio ≥1 within the first 6  h. CONCLUSIONS: Severe blunt trauma patients transfused with an FFP/RBC ratio ≥1 within the first 6  h had an HR of about 0.4. The transfusion of an FFP/RBC ratio ≥1 within the first 6  h was associated with the outcomes of blunt trauma patients with ISS ≥16 who need a transfusion within 24  h.

HIGH D-DIMER LEVELS PREDICT A POOR OUTCOME IN PATIENTS WITH SEVERE TRAUMA, EVEN WITH HIGH FIBRINOGEN LEVELS ON ARRIVAL: A MULTICENTER RETROSPECTIVE STUDY.

Elevated D-dimer level in trauma patients is associated with tissue damage severity and is an indicator of hyperfibrinolysis during the early phase of trauma. To investigate the interacting effects of fibrinogen and D-dimer levels on arrival at the emergency department for massive transfusion and mortality in severe trauma patients in a multicenter retrospective study. This study included 519 adult trauma patients with an injury severity score ≥16. Patients with ≥10 units of red cell concentrate transfusion and/or death during the first 24 h were classified as having a poor outcome. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis for predicting poor outcome showed the optimal cut-off fibrinogen and D-dimer values to be 190 mg/dL and 38 mg/L, respectively. On the basis of these values, patients were divided into four groups: low D-dimer (<38 mg/L)/high fibrinogen (>190 mg/dL), low D-dimer (<38 mg/L)/low fibrinogen (≤190 mg/dL), high D-dimer (≥38 mg/L)/high fibrinogen (>190 mg/dL), and high D-dimer (≥38 mg/L)/low fibrinogen (≤190 mg/dL). The survival rate was lower in the high D-dimer/low fibrinogen group than in the other groups. Moreover, the survival rate was lower in the high D-dimer/high fibrinogen group than in the low D-dimer/high fibrinogen and low D-dimer/low fibrinogen groups. High D-dimer level on arrival is a strong predictor of early death or requirement for massive transfusion in severe trauma patients, even with high fibrinogen levels.

Suppressed expression of NDRG2 correlates with poor prognosis in pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is a highly lethal disease with a poor prognosis; the molecular mechanisms of the development of this disease have not yet been fully elucidated. N-myc downstream regulated gene 2 (NDRG2), one of the candidate tumor suppressor genes, is frequently downregulated in pancreatic cancer, but there has been little information regarding its expression in surgically resected pancreatic cancer specimens. We investigated an association between NDRG2 expression and prognosis in 69 primary resected pancreatic cancer specimens by immunohistochemistry and observed a significant association between poor prognosis and NDRG2-negative staining (P=0.038). Treatment with trichostatin A, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, predominantly up-regulated NDRG2 expression in the NDRG2 low-expressing cell lines (PANC-1, PCI-35, PK-45P, and AsPC-1). In contrast, no increased NDRG2 expression was observed after treatment with 5-aza-2' deoxycytidine, a DNA demethylating agent, and no hypermethylation was detected in either pancreatic cancer cell lines or surgically resected specimens by methylation specific PCR. Our present results suggest that (1) NDRG2 is functioning as one of the candidate tumor-suppressor genes in pancreatic carcinogenesis, (2) epigenetic mechanisms such as histone modifications play an essential role in NDRG2 silencing, and (3) the expression of NDRG2 is an independent prognostic factor in pancreatic cancer.

The expression of S100A4 in human pancreatic cancer is associated with invasion.

OBJECTIVES: Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal malignancies; its poor prognosis is strongly associated with invasion and metastasis. Expression of S100A4 has been reported to correlate with poor prognosis in various cancers. We have investigated the role of S100A4 in pancreatic cancer tumorigenesis and its clinicopathologic significance. METHODS: Protein expression of S100A4 was examined by Western blot in pancreatic cancer cell lines and a human pancreatic ductal epithelium cell line, HPDE-6. Then the expressions of S100A4, TP53, and CD133 were examined immunohistochemically in resected specimens from 83 patients with pancreatic cancer to clarify their clinicopathologic significance. Survival analyses were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and the Mantel-Cox method. RESULTS: Forty-eight (58%) of 83 patients with pancreatic cancer positively expressed S100A4, and 50 (60%) and 29 (36%) patients positively expressed TP53 and CD133, respectively. S100A4 expression was significantly correlated with perineural invasion (P = 0.029) and invasion pattern (P = 0.001). Neither TP53 nor CD133 expression showed significant correlations with any other parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Our present results suggest that S100A4 plays an important role in the invasiveness, particularly with perineural invasion and invasion pattern, of pancreatic cancer. Development of new strategies targeting S100A4 or its downstream effectors is warranted.

Bilateral traumatic testicular dislocation.

We report on bilateral traumatic testicular dislocation with pelvic injury. Both testes were dislocated in the superficial perineal region and 1 of 2 testes had prolapsed at the perineal region. To our knowledge, this type of bilateral traumatic testicular dislocation has not been previously described.

siRNA-mediated knockdown against CDCA1 and KNTC2, both frequently overexpressed in colorectal and gastric cancers, suppresses cell proliferation and induces apoptosis.

Ndc80 has been shown to play an important role in stable microtubule-kinetochore attachment, chromosome alignment, and spindle checkpoint activation in mitosis. It is composed of two heterodimers, CDCA1-KNTC2 and SPC24-SPC25. Overexpression of CDCA1 and KNTC2 is reported to be associated with poor prognosis in non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC), and siRNA-mediated knockdown against CDCA1 or KNTC2 has been found to inhibit cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis in NSCLC, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer and glioma. Therefore, CDCA1 and KNTC2 can be considered good candidates for molecular target therapy as well as diagnosis in some cancers. However, the role of the Ndc80 complex in colorectal and gastric cancers (CRC and GC) still remains unclear. In the present study, we used qRT-PCR to evaluate the expression levels of CDCA1, KNTC2, SPC24 and SPC25 in CRC and GC and employed siRNA-mediated knockdown to examine cell proliferation and apoptosis. mRNA overexpression of these four genes was observed in CRCs and GCs when compared with the corresponding normal mucosae. Additionally, the expression levels of tumor/normal ratios of CDCA1, KNTC2, SPC24 and SPC25 correlated with each other in CRCs. MTT assays revealed that cell growths after the siRNA-mediated knockdown of either CDCA1 or KNTC2 were significantly suppressed, and flow cytometry analyses revealed significant increases of the subG1 fractions after knockdown against both genes. Our present results suggest that expressional control of component molecules of Ndc80 can be utilized for molecular target therapy of patients with CRC and GC.

Accidental fall due to abnormal behavior after experiencing a Streptococcus pyogenes infection: febrile delirium or pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcal infection?

An 11-year-old boy with a high fever (39.4 degrees C) presented at a local medical institution. His condition was diagnosed as hemolytic streptococcal infection, and he was prescribed an antibiotic. After returning home, he took a dose of his medication and rested; however, he suddenly began to run around while yelling incomprehensible words. He ran up to his room on the second floor and fell from the second floor window down to the ground. He lost consciousness and was transferred to our department. His history included being born as a twin with a low birth weight and pneumonia at 1 year of age. He regained consciousness on the seventh hospital day and was discharged without any neurological abnormality on the 14th day. His abnormal behavior might have resulted from febrile delirium or an unusual expression of pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with a streptococcal infection.

Cronkhite-Canada syndrome complicated with huge intramucosal gastric cancer.

Cronkhite-Canada syndrome (CCS) is a rare nonhereditary disorder with gastrointestinal polyposis and associated ectodermal changes. This report documents a 59-year-old Japanese man with CCS who underwent a total gastrectomy for gastric tumors. The resected specimen showed a huge gastric adenocarcinoma with numerous polyps throughout the stomach. The cancer was pathologically limited to within the mucosa and its histological structure resembled that of hyperplasia in CCS polyps, which led us to suppose that the carcinoma had arisen from hyperplastic CCS polyps. These results urged us to study the phenotypic expression of mucins, which revealed MUC2(-) and MUC5AC(+) and supported the diagnosis of the tumor as a gastric-type well-differentiate adenocarcinoma. A literature search revealed that 32 gastric carcinomas which developed in patients with CCS were mostly limited to within the submucosa in spite of their huge sizes, and such cancer development in CCS polyposis is therefore not considered to be unusual.

Down-regulation of cIAP2 enhances 5-FU sensitivity through the apoptotic pathway in human colon cancer cells.

Currently 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) plays a central role in the chemotherapeutic regimens for colorectal cancers and thus it is important to understand the mechanisms that determine 5-FU sensitivity. The expression profiles of human colon cancer cell line DLD-1, its 5-FU-resistant subclone DLD-1/FU and a further 21 types of colon cancer cell lines were compared to identify the novel genes defining the sensitivity to 5-FU and to estimate which population of genes is responsible for 5-FU sensitivity. In the hierarchical clustering, DLD-1 and DLD-1/FU were most closely clustered despite over 100 times difference in their 50% inhibitory concentration of 5-FU. In DLD-1/FU, the population of genes differentially expressed compared to DLD-1 was limited to 3.3%, although it ranged from 4.8% to 24.0% in the other 21 cell lines, thus indicating that the difference of 5-FU sensitivity was defined by a limited number of genes. Next, the role of the cellular inhibitor of apoptosis 2 (cIAP2) gene, which was up-regulated in DLD-1/FU, was investigated for 5-FU resistance using RNA interference. The down-regulation of cIAP2 efficiently enhanced 5-FU sensitivity, the activation of caspase 3/7 and apoptosis under exposure to 5-FU. The immunohistochemistry of cIAP2 in cancer and corresponding normal tissues from colorectal cancer patients in stage III revealed that cIAP2 was more frequently expressed in cancer tissues than in normal tissues, and cIAP2-positive patients had a trend toward early recurrence after fluorouracil-based chemotherapy. Although the association between drug sensitivity and the IAP family in colorectal cancer has not yet been discussed, cIAP2 may therefore play an important role as a target therapy in colorectal cancer.

Cancer-associated splicing variants of the CDCA1 and MSMB genes expressed in cancer cell lines and surgically resected gastric cancer tissues.

BACKGROUND: Alternative splicing is a molecular mechanism by which different combinations of exons can be alternatively spliced to produce different mRNA isoforms. Recently, several databases have been published to predict the alternative splicing of mRNA; cancer-specific alternative splicing has also been predicted with these databases. Those variants may be potentially useful targets for cancer therapy, however, the accuracy and veracity of these databases have yet to be confirmed. METHODS: In this study, we analyzed 17 genes by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) that were predicted to have cancer-specific alternative splicing by using the splicing database, the Alternative Splicing Annotation Project (ASAP) by Lee et al, between 38 cancer cell lines from various organs and 9 corresponding normal tissues. By designing 2 types of primer sets for RT-PCR including (1) primers flanking the alternatively spliced exons and (2) primers spanning the exon/exon junctions, cancer-associated splicing variants were investigated. RESULTS: The alternatively splicing events were detected in 15 of 17 genes (88%); 35 of 43 variants (81%) were detected successfully with RT-PCR. Among these variants, M-RIP, HYAL2, CDCA1, and MSMB genes showed differential expressions between cancer cell lines and corresponding normal tissues. Furthermore, RT-PCR with surgically resected gastric cancer tissues (diffuse type, 6; intestinal type, 4) confirmed that 2 variants of CDCA1 were upregulated in cancer tissues, whereas both variants of MSMB were expressed predominantly in normal tissues. CONCLUSION: Alternative splicing variants, especially in CDCA1, were detected in this study and may be potentially useful as diagnostic markers and/or novel targets for anticancer therapy.

Indications for transcatheter arterial embolization in persistent hemothorax caused by blunt trauma.

BACKGROUND: To confirm the usefulness of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) and the efficacy of transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) in patients, who undergo tube thoracostomy for hemothorax secondary to blunt chest trauma. MATERIALS: CECT was performed at admission in patients, who suffered blunt chest trauma but did not require an emergent thoracotomy. Pulmonary injuries with intrapulmonary hematomas or traumatic pneumatoceles or both on computed tomography images were diagnosed as pulmonary lacerations (PL). The size of the pulmonary injuries with the PL was measured as percent volume (volume of the PL/volume of the lung). Rib fracture displacement was measured on computed tomography images and expressed as parallel and transverse displacement of the fractured ribs (PD and TD, respectively). Patients with an injury to a thoracic great vessel (e.g., aortic injury) were excluded. RESULTS: CECT of the chest was performed on 154 of 976 consecutive patients with blunt torso trauma. Thirty-four patients have PL without a great vessel injury. Tube thoracostomy was performed at 38 sites in 29 patients. After the initial bloody drainage, the mean drainage during the first hour was 81.2 mL/h +/- 137 mL/h. The mean percent volume of the PL was 29.0% +/- 15.4%. The mean PD was 12.2 mm +/- 10.4 mm. The PD and the TD correlated with the hourly drainage (p = 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively). No correlation was found between the percent volume of PL and hourly drainage (p = 0.11). Of the 38 thoracostomy sites, 6 had a blood loss of > or =200 mL/h. Contrast extravasation on CECT was observed in five of these six sites, and angiography was performed. All five sites had contrast extravasation from an intercostal artery, and TAE was successfully performed. CONCLUSION: Intercostal arterial bleeding should be suspected in patients with persistent hemothorax > or =200 mL/h and large displacement of a fractured rib. In such cases, CECT should be performed and TAE is indicated if contrast extravasation is observed.

Cervical spinal cord injury without bony injury: a multicenter retrospective study of emergency and critical care centers in Japan.

BACKGROUND: To demonstrate the clinical characteristics of patients with cervical cord injury (CCI) without bony injury in Japan. METHODS: Retrospective review of 127 patients with CCI without bony injury treated between January 2003 and October 2005 at 11 institutions. RESULTS: Prevalence of CCI without bony injury was 32.2% among all CCIs and 0.81% among all blunt traumas. Mean age was 60.4 years (range, 19-90 years), with 104 patients (82%) > or = 46 years old (older group). The major mechanism of injury among younger patients (< 46 years) was traffic injuries (39%), whereas minor falls (44%) predominated in older patients. High-energy mechanisms of injury were significantly more common for younger patients (35% versus 15%, p = 0.041). Mean injury severity score, abbreviated injury score for the head and Glasgow coma scale on admission were 17.2 +/- 4.7, 0.6 +/- 0.9, and 14.2 +/- 2.1, respectively. Incomplete CCI occurred in 88.7%. On plain cervical spine radiography, spinal canal stenosis and spondylosis or ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament were more frequent in older patients than in younger patients (43% vs. 13%, p = 0.008; 54% vs. 17%, p = 0.002, respectively). No abnormal findings were seen in 52% of younger patients. CONCLUSION: CCI without bony injury occurred more frequently in this study population than previously reported. Degenerative changes and spinal canal stenosis represent important risk factors for developing CCI without bony injury and the present results suggest that this injury may occur in younger adults during high-energy injuries in the absence of pre-existing cervical spine disease.