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Imaging of Blunt Splenic Injuries

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Atlas of Emergency Imaging from Head-to-Toe

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Abstract

This chapter provides a comprehensive review of blunt splenic injury. Beginning with a discussion of the physiologic function of the spleen, historical trends in splenic injury management will then be discussed and then the clinical features of splenic injury.

An in-depth discussion regarding the different types of splenic injury – lacerations, hematomas, and various vascular injuries – and how they are identified on CT, with associated imaging examples, will be presented. CT techniques are reviewed with a discussion of the various phases of contrast, and how different pathologies may be viewed more clearly on certain phases.

A review of the grading and management of the blunt splenic injury is provided. The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) organ injury scale of splenic injury is used as a guideline in categorizing various splenic injuries and their subsequent management. A thorough discussion is provided of nonoperative management, surgical management, and selective angiographic embolization, with a brief discussion of potential complications.

Finally, the chapter concludes with a discussion of various pitfalls which a radiologist may encounter with splenic injury imaging, and ways to identify potential splenic injury mimickers.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA

    Baher R. A. Guirguis, Jennifer F. True & James T. Lee

Authors
  1. Baher R. A. Guirguis
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  2. Jennifer F. True
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  3. James T. Lee
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to James T. Lee .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, McMaster University, Hamilton General Hospital, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Michael N Patlas

  2. Department of Radiology, NYU Winthrop Hospital, Mineola, NY, USA

    Douglas S. Katz

  3. Department of Radiology, Pineta Grande Hospital, Castel Volturno, Italy

    Mariano Scaglione

Section Editor information

  1. Cardiothoracic Imaging, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

    Vincent Mellnick MD

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Guirguis, B.R.A., True, J.F., Lee, J.T. (2021). Imaging of Blunt Splenic Injuries. In: Patlas, M.N., Katz, D.S., Scaglione, M. (eds) Atlas of Emergency Imaging from Head-to-Toe. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44092-3_22-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44092-3_22-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-44092-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-44092-3

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