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Use of CT for diagnosis of traumatic rupture of the thoracic aorta

  • Original Articles
  • Published:
Annals of Vascular Surgery

Abstract

CT imaging of traumatic aortic rupture has been both advocated and disparaged in the current literature as a reliable diagnostic modality. In a retrospective review of blunt chest trauma patients at our institution evaluated by both thoracic CT and arteriography, we found a 17% false negative rate and a 39% false positive rate. Although we feel CT is not sufficiently sensitive at present to evaluate traumatic rupture of the aorta directly, it is an invaluable adjunctive imaging modality for stable blunt chest trauma patients with equivocal chest radiographs or arteriograms.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. From the Department of Radiology, University of Chicago, Chicago and Park Ridge, Ill

    Myrosia M. Tomiak MD & Jordan D. Rosenblum MD

  2. Department of Radiology, Lutheran General Hospital, Chicago and Park Ridge, Ill

    Richard N. Messersmith MD

  3. Department of Surgery, University of Chicago, Chicago and Park Ridge, Ill

    Christopher K. Zarins MD

Authors
  1. Myrosia M. Tomiak MD
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  2. Jordan D. Rosenblum MD
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  3. Richard N. Messersmith MD
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  4. Christopher K. Zarins MD
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Tomiak, M.M., Rosenblum, J.D., Messersmith, R.N. et al. Use of CT for diagnosis of traumatic rupture of the thoracic aorta. Annals of Vascular Surgery 7, 130–139 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02001006

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