Download PDF
Digestive Disease Interventions
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1807253
Review Article

Imaging Workup of Trauma Patients

Rahul Mal
1   Division of Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio
,
Kelvin L.S. Chan
1   Division of Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio
,
Amit Gupta 
1   Division of Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio
› Author Affiliations
› Further Information
Also available at
    Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

Trauma remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Rapid and accurate evaluation of trauma patients is crucial to guiding optimal management. Imaging has become a cornerstone in trauma assessment, playing a critical role in identifying life-threatening injuries and providing detailed information about the extent of trauma to various body systems. This article reviews current imaging applications in trauma and addresses advancements in the utilization of imaging in the trauma workflow.

Keywords

trauma - imaging - interventional radiology


Publication History

Received: 16 February 2025

Accepted: 11 March 2025

Article published online:
14 May 2025

© 2025. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.
333 Seventh Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10001, USA

 

  • References

  • 1 Lee JT, Sobieh A, Bonne S. et al; Expert Panel on Polytrauma Imaging. ACR appropriateness Criteria® penetrating torso trauma. J Am Coll Radiol 2024; 21 (11S): S448-S463
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 2 Shyu JY, Khurana B, Soto JA. et al; Expert Panel on Major Trauma Imaging. ACR appropriateness Criteria® major blunt trauma. J Am Coll Radiol 2020; 17 (5S): S160-S174
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 3 American College of Surgeons. (2018, October). ACS TQIP Best Practices Guidelines in Imaging. ACS Guidelines . Retrieved December 1, 2024, from https://www.facs.org/media/oxdjw5zj/imaging_guidelines.pdf . Accessed on May 7, 2025
    PubMed
  • 4 Hussain K, Verma D, Firoz A. et al. Radiology and a radiologist: a keystone in the turmoil of trauma setting. Cureus 2021; 13 (04) e14267
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 5 Pinto A, Berritto D, Russo A. et al. Traumatic fractures in adults: missed diagnosis on plain radiographs in the emergency department. Acta Biomed 2018; 89 (1-S): 111-123
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 6 Bloom BA, Gibbons RC. Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma. StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing Copyright © 2024, StatPearls Publishing LLC; 2024
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 7 Moore EE, Moore FA. American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Organ Injury Scaling: 50th anniversary review article of the Journal of Trauma. J Trauma 2010; 69 (06) 1600-1601
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 8 Kozar RA, Crandall M, Shanmuganathan K. et al; AAST Patient Assessment Committee. Organ injury scaling 2018 update: spleen, liver, and kidney. J Trauma Acute Care Surg 2018; 85 (06) 1119-1122
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 9 Gakhal MS, Sartip KA. CT angiography signs of lower extremity vascular trauma. AJR Am J Roentgenol 2009; 193 (01) W49-57
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 10 Kumar Y, Hayashi D. Role of magnetic resonance imaging in acute spinal trauma: a pictorial review. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2016; 17: 310
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 11 Provenzale JM. Imaging of traumatic brain injury: a review of the recent medical literature. AJR Am J Roentgenol 2010; 194 (01) 16-19
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 12 Lee H, Wintermark M, Gean AD, Ghajar J, Manley GT, Mukherjee P. Focal lesions in acute mild traumatic brain injury and neurocognitive outcome: CT versus 3T MRI. J Neurotrauma 2008; 25 (09) 1049-1056
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 13 Leo MM, Potter IY, Zahiri M, Vaziri A, Jung CF, Feldman JA. Using deep learning to detect the presence and location of hemoperitoneum on the Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (FAST) examination in adults. J Digit Imaging 2023; 36 (05) 2035-2050
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 14 Yıldız Potter İ, Leo MM, Vaziri A, Feldman JA. Automated detection and localization of pericardial effusion from point-of-care cardiac ultrasound examination. Med Biol Eng Comput 2023; 61 (08) 1947-1959
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 15 Wang TJ, Barrett S, Ali I, Khosa F, Nicolaou S, Murray N. Dual-energy CT in the acute setting: bowel trauma. Front Radiol 2022; 2: 835834
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 16 Tivnan P, Kaliaev A, Anderson SW, LeBedis CA, Li B, Andreu-Arasa VC. Utilization of a two-material decomposition from a single-source, dual-energy CT in acute traumatic vertebral fractures. Front Radiol 2023; 3: 1187449
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 17 Knox JA, Kumar V, Conrad MB, Nanavati S, Moore T, Wilson M. Synergy in IR-Hybrid CT/C-arm in the setting of critical trauma. Emerg Radiol 2022; 29 (03) 605-609
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar