Emergency radiology
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A lateral soft tissue neck radiograph is a useful adjunct in diagnosing and managing the patient presenting with upper airway symptoms but is often inadequately reviewed. We present some common findings and robust systems to improve analysis of these radiographs.
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Emergency radiology · Jun 2012
ReviewDiaphragmatic injuries after blunt trauma: are they still a challenge? Reviewing CT findings and integrated imaging.
Traumatic diaphragmatic rupture is a life-threatening injury that may occur in patients with blunt trauma. At present, supine chest radiographs is the initial, most commonly performed imaging test to evaluate a traumatic injury of the thorax. ⋯ In particular, recent literature indicates that multidetector CT with multiplanar reformations has significantly improved in accuracy. Radiologists working in the emergency room should keep in mind the possibility of diaphragmatic injuries and should routinely integrate the axial images CT with multiplanar reformations in order to detect any potential, subtle or doubtful sign of incomplete diaphragmatic injury.
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Emergency radiology · Jun 2012
Spot sign score predicts rapid bleeding in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage.
This study was conducted to determine whether spot sign score correlates with average rate of hematoma expansion and whether average rate of expansion predicts in-hospital mortality and clinical outcome in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). The study included 367 patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2008 with nontraumatic ICH. All received noncontrast computed tomography (NCCT) of the head and multidetector CT angiography (MDCTA) on presentation to the ED and a follow-up NCCT within 48 h. ⋯ Spot sign score on presentation to the ED correlated with the average rate of hematoma expansion. Average rate of hematoma expansion predicts mortality in spontaneous ICH. Spot sign score on presentation correlates with rate of expansion, supporting the hypothesis that high spot sign scores likely reflect active bleeding in acute ICH.
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Emergency radiology · Jun 2012
Early assessment of the efficacy of digital infrared thermal imaging in pediatric extremity trauma.
Young children or those with intellectual disability with trauma to an extremity often undergo radiographs of the whole limb. The objective of the study was to assess the efficacy of digital infrared thermal images (DITI) in pediatric extremity trauma. We hypothesized fractures to be associated with local hyperthermia, detectable with DITI, which could direct focused radiographs. ⋯ Fractures were seen in 11 patients. DITI matched 7 of 11 (64%) fracture sites. DITI performance in pinpointing the site of injury, although suboptimal, is encouraging for further evaluation.