Emergency radiology
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Emergency radiology · Mar 2010
Case ReportsAcute myocardial infarction due to left anterior descending coronary artery dissection after blunt chest trauma.
Cardiac complications of chest trauma range from arrhythmias to valvular avulsions to myocardial contusion, rupture, and rarely myocardial infarction. We describe a case of a young patient with blunt chest trauma after a motor vehicle accident in whom the diagnosis of myocardial infarction was established a week later because no electrocardiogram or cardiac biomarkers were obtained on presentation. ⋯ Subsequent coronary angiography demonstrated dissection in the proximal LAD. Our case illustrates the importance of electrocardiography and contrast-enhanced chest CT in initial evaluation of patients with blunt chest trauma and suspected injury to the coronary arteries.
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Emergency radiology · Jan 2010
Case ReportsAir around the pulmonary vein: an unusual finding in a patient with blunt thoracic trauma.
Traumatic thoracic injuries and related complications have a mortality of 15.5-25%. We present a case of a 30-year-old with blunt thoracic trauma, massive edema of the lung, and laceration of the middle lobe, associated with air around the pulmonary vein, evaluated with multidetector computed tomography. To the best of our knowledge, air around the pulmonary vein has not been previously described in the literature.
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Emergency radiology · Nov 2009
ReviewCT evaluation of subarachnoid hemorrhage: a practical review for the radiologist interpreting emergency room studies.
Radiologists working in an emergency radiology setting frequently interpret computed tomography (CT) studies of patients with suspected subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). This article reviews the sensitivity of CT for detection of SAH, some major patterns of SAH related to a ruptured aneurysm, and the differential diagnosis of SAH not due to aneurysmal rupture.
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Temporal bone injury is frequently associated with severe brain injury which limits the clinical evaluation and detracts from the clinical signs of temporal bone fracture such as sensorineural hearing loss, conductive hearing loss, and facial nerve paralysis. Radiologists are often the first to note the presence of temporal bone fractures and should be familiar with common types of injuries and their clinical implications. We review the traditional classification systems of temporal bone fractures with respect to clinical findings and management and suggest that radiologists should be familiar with the classification systems and, more importantly, focus their attention to identifying all critical temporal bone structures and describing their status of involvement to better the individual care.
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Emergency radiology · Jul 2009
Occipital condyle fractures: incidence and clinical follow-up at a level 1 trauma centre.
The purpose of the study was to investigate the incidence, management, and outcomes of occipital condyle fractures at a level 1 trauma center. Blunt trauma patients with occipital condyle fracture admitted to a level 1 trauma center over a 3-year period were identified. Prospective clinical and functional follow-up was undertaken, including further radiographic imaging. ⋯ Occipital condyle fractures most frequently occur in conjunction with additional injuries, particularly head and cervical spine injuries. Most cases can be managed successfully nonoperatively. Functional outcome is generally determined by pain and disability related to other injuries, rather than occipital fracture configuration.