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Imaging of Acute Traumatic Aortic Injury

  • Emergency Radiology (J Yu, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

This article aims to review the key aspects of the imaging evaluation of acute traumatic aortic injury (ATAI) with an emphasis on factors that affect management of these patients.

Recent Findings

In the setting of trauma, the chest radiograph typically serves as the initial imaging evaluation and can be useful in detecting signs of mediastinal hematoma. In the current era, definitive diagnosis of ATAI is made with computed tomography (CT), where indirect and direct findings of ATAI can enable a confident diagnosis. Knowledge of potential technical and anatomic CT imaging pitfalls can prevent misdiagnosis of ATAI.

Summary

Diagnosis of ATAI in the setting of blunt or penetrating trauma relies heavily on timely and accurate imaging interpretation. Once the diagnosis is made, a meaningful report including appropriate descriptors of the characteristics and location of ATAI should be generated by the radiologist to help direct management.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, 510 S. Kingshighway Boulevard, Campus, Box 8131, St Louis, MO, 63101, USA

    M. Zak Rajput, Demetrios A. Raptis, Constantine A. Raptis & Sanjeev Bhalla

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  1. M. Zak Rajput
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  2. Demetrios A. Raptis
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  3. Constantine A. Raptis
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  4. Sanjeev Bhalla
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Demetrios A. Raptis.

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Conflict of interest

M. Zak Rajput, Demetrios A. Raptis, Constantine A. Raptis, and Sanjeev Bhalla each declare no potential conflicts of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical collection on Emergency Radiology.

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Rajput, M.Z., Raptis, D.A., Raptis, C.A. et al. Imaging of Acute Traumatic Aortic Injury. Curr Radiol Rep 6, 19 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40134-018-0278-4

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