• European radiology · May 2017

    Multicenter Study

    Imaging algorithms and CT protocols in trauma patients: survey of Swiss emergency centers.

    • R Hinzpeter, T Boehm, D Boll, C Constantin, F Del Grande, V Fretz, S Leschka, T Ohletz, M Brönnimann, S Schmidt, T Treumann, P-A Poletti, and Hatem Alkadhi.
    • Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Zurich, Raemistr. 100, CH-8091, Zurich, Switzerland.
    • Eur Radiol. 2017 May 1; 27 (5): 1922-1928.

    ObjectivesTo identify imaging algorithms and indications, CT protocols, and radiation doses in polytrauma patients in Swiss trauma centres.MethodsAn online survey with multiple choice questions and free-text responses was sent to authorized level-I trauma centres in Switzerland.ResultsAll centres responded and indicated that they have internal standardized imaging algorithms for polytrauma patients. Nine of 12 centres (75 %) perform whole-body CT (WBCT) after focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST) and conventional radiography; 3/12 (25 %) use WBCT for initial imaging. Indications for WBCT were similar across centres being based on trauma mechanisms, vital signs, and presence of multiple injuries. Seven of 12 centres (58 %) perform an arterial and venous phase of the abdomen in split-bolus technique. Six of 12 centres (50 %) use multiphase protocols of the head (n = 3) and abdomen (n = 4), whereas 6/12 (50 %) use single-phase protocols for WBCT. Arm position was on the patient`s body during scanning (3/12, 25 %), alongside the body (2/12, 17 %), above the head (2/12, 17 %), or was changed during scanning (5/12, 42 %). Radiation doses showed large variations across centres ranging from 1268-3988 mGy*cm (DLP) per WBCT.ConclusionsImaging algorithms in polytrauma patients are standardized within, but vary across Swiss trauma centres, similar to the individual WBCT protocols, resulting in large variations in associated radiation doses.Key Points• Swiss trauma centres have internal standardized imaging algorithms for trauma patients • Whole-body CT is most commonly used for imaging of trauma patients • CT protocols and radiation doses vary greatly across Swiss trauma centres.

      Pubmed     Full text   Copy Citation     Plaintext  

      Add institutional full text...

    Notes

     
    Knowledge, pearl, summary or comment to share?
    300 characters remaining
    help        
    You can also include formatting, links, images and footnotes in your notes
    • Simple formatting can be added to notes, such as *italics*, _underline_ or **bold**.
    • Superscript can be denoted by <sup>text</sup> and subscript <sub>text</sub>.
    • Numbered or bulleted lists can be created using either numbered lines 1. 2. 3., hyphens - or asterisks *.
    • Links can be included with: [my link to pubmed](http://pubmed.com)
    • Images can be included with: ![alt text](https://bestmedicaljournal.com/study_graph.jpg "Image Title Text")
    • For footnotes use [^1](This is a footnote.) inline.
    • Or use an inline reference [^1] to refer to a longer footnote elseweher in the document [^1]: This is a long footnote..

    hide…