Watch Out for the Early Killers: Imaging Diagnosis of Thoracic Trauma
Issued Date
2023-08-01
Resource Type
ISSN
12296929
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85165922334
Pubmed ID
37500576
Journal Title
Korean Journal of Radiology
Volume
24
Issue
8
Start Page
752
End Page
760
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.24 No.8 (2023) , 752-760
Suggested Citation
Wong Y.C., Wang L.J., Kaewlai R., Wu C.H. Watch Out for the Early Killers: Imaging Diagnosis of Thoracic Trauma. Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.24 No.8 (2023) , 752-760. 760. doi:10.3348/kjr.2022.1021 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/88234
Title
Watch Out for the Early Killers: Imaging Diagnosis of Thoracic Trauma
Author(s)
Author's Affiliation
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Radiologists and trauma surgeons should monitor for early killers among patients with thoracic trauma, such as tension pneumothorax, tracheobronchial injuries, flail chest, aortic injury, mediastinal hematomas, and severe pulmonary parenchymal injury. With the advent of cutting-edge technology, rapid volumetric computed tomography of the chest has become the most definitive diagnostic tool for establishing or excluding thoracic trauma. With the notion of “time is life” at emergency settings, radiologists must find ways to shorten the turnaround time of reports. One way to interpret chest findings is to use a systemic approach, as advocated in this study. Our interpretation of chest findings for thoracic trauma follows the acronym “ABC-Please” in which “A” stands for abnormal air, “B” stands for abnormal bones, “C” stands for abnormal cardiovascular system, and “P” in “Please” stands for abnormal pulmonary parenchyma and vessels. In the future, utilizing an artificial intelligence software can be an alternative, which can highlight significant findings as “warm zones” on the heatmap and can re-prioritize important examinations at the top of the reading list for radiologists to expedite the final reports.