• G Sangster, V Prieto Ventura, A Carbo, T Gates, J Garayburu, and H D'Agostino.
• Department of Radiology, LSUHSC-S, 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA 71130, USA. gsangs@lsuhsc.edu
• Emerg Radiol. 2007 Feb 1; 13 (5): 225-30.

AbstractIn the US and Western Europe, trauma is the fourth most common cause of death and the leading cause of death in the population less than 45 years of age [Mullinix and Foley, J Comput Assist Tomogr 28(Suppl 1):S20-S27, 2004]. Diaphragmatic injuries occur in 0.8 to 8% of patients after blunt trauma (Gray H, The muscles of the thorax. Anatomy of the human body. Lea & Febiger, Philadelphia, 1918) and may be a predictor of severity of injury in the blunt trauma patient [Worthy et al., Radiology 194(3):885-888, 1995]. The clinical diagnosis of diaphragmatic rupture (DR) is difficult and is missed in anywhere from 7 to 66% of patients [Cantwell, Radiology 238(2):752-753, 2006]. The accurate diagnosis and prognosis of this pathology depend on a complete knowledge of the clinical and radiological presentation. Computed tomography is the imaging modality of choice in the assessment of patients with clinical or radiographic findings suggestive of DR.

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