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MDCT diagnosis and endovascular management of bullet embolization to the heart

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Abstract

Multidetector computed tomography is a useful imaging modality in diagnosing the path of a bullet and evaluating the extent of injury the bullet has caused in the torso. We present a 21-year-old patient who sustained a single gunshot wound to the right flank without any exit wound. Bullet fragments were embolized to the heart and left pulmonary artery via inferior vena cava. Minimally invasive interventional management was performed successfully to retrieve the intracardiac bullet fragments to prevent further complications.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Maryland Shock–Trauma Center, University of Maryland Medical Center, 22 S Greene St, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA

    Joseph J. Chen, Stuart E. Mirvis & Kathirkama Shanmuganathan

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  1. Joseph J. Chen
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  2. Stuart E. Mirvis
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  3. Kathirkama Shanmuganathan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joseph J. Chen.

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Chen, J.J., Mirvis, S.E. & Shanmuganathan, K. MDCT diagnosis and endovascular management of bullet embolization to the heart. Emerg Radiol 14, 127–130 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10140-007-0592-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10140-007-0592-2

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