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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Indian J Radiol Imaging 2005; 15(02): 167-173
DOI: 10.4103/0971-3026.28794
Original Article

Prospective evaluation of blunt abdominal trauma by computed tomography

MM Kumar
Department of Radio diagnosis, Rangaraya Medical College & Govt. General Hospital, Kakinada- 533001, Andhra Pradesh, India
,
M Venkataramanappa
Department of Radio diagnosis, Rangaraya Medical College & Govt. General Hospital, Kakinada- 533001, Andhra Pradesh, India
,
I Venkataratnam
Department of Radio diagnosis, Rangaraya Medical College & Govt. General Hospital, Kakinada- 533001, Andhra Pradesh, India
,
N Kumar
Department of Radio diagnosis, Rangaraya Medical College & Govt. General Hospital, Kakinada- 533001, Andhra Pradesh, India
,
K Babji
Department of Radio diagnosis, Rangaraya Medical College & Govt. General Hospital, Kakinada- 533001, Andhra Pradesh, India
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Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the usefulness of emergency computed tomography in detection of intra-abdominal injury in patients with blunt abdominal trauma and to provide information that could accurately determine the choice of management (operative versus non-operative), thereby reducing the non-therapeutic laparotomy rates. The emphasis was to detect both free fluid (haemoperitoneum) and visceral lesions as indicators of intraabdominal injury. Materials and methods: Two hundred and ten patients with blunt abdominal trauma were evaluated in a period of 20 months, of whom sixty-three patients were positive. The various organ injuries were graded, and scoring applied for haemoperitoneum. The management, therapeutic or otherwise was decided based on the CT findings. Results: Patients with severe grades of injury and with large haemoperitoneum required surgeries. The overall sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value for trauma detection by CT was 93%, 100% and 100% respectively. Conclusion: CT quantification of haemoperitoneum and organ injury grading is helpful in guiding the surgeon towards patient management. CT is accurate, safe, and has all the attributes to make it an initial investigation of choice in haemodynamically stable patients of blunt abdominal trauma.

Keywords

CT in Blunt Abdominal Trauma - Haemoperitoneum


Publication History

Article published online:
31 July 2021

© 2005. Indian Radiological Association. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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