Authors: Gerd Schueller Mariano Scaglione Ulrich Linsenmaier Claudia SchuellerWeidekamm Chiara Andreoli Marina De Vargas Macciucca Gianfranco Gualdi
Publish Date: 2015/01/30
Volume: 120, Issue: 7, Pages: 641-654
Abstract
Trauma causes greater losses of life years and it is the most common cause of death for people under the age of 45 Time is one of the most relevant factors for the survival of injured patients particularly the time elapsed from trauma until the resuscitation procedures As a member of the trauma team the radiologist contributes to the rapid diagnosis of traumatic disorders with appropriate imaging modalities Based on the evidence the most appropriate diagnostic tool for severe/multiple trauma is computed tomography CT With the advent of multidetector CT MDCT radiologists are able to more effectively characterize lifethreatening traumatic disorders within a few seconds in stable or stabilized patients Considering the diagnostic potential of MDCT conventional radiographs could be virtually abandoned in the diagnostic algorithms for adult polytraumatized patients The radiologist helps to facilitate triage and to assess the optimal individual treatment for polytrauma patients thus contributing to the improvement of patient outcomes In this article the indications for MDCT in the polytrauma setting are discussed
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