Multispiral computed tomography of the lungs with polytrauma in children

Abstract

Introduction. MDCT is more sensitive in pulmonary, pleural and bone injuries detection in patients with polytrauma than chest radiography. High-quality multiplanar reconstructions brought additional information to the diagnostic capabilities of this method. Purpose. Purpose of this publication was to analyze the data obtained during chest MDCT in children with polytrauma. Material and methods . 147 children aged from 6 months to 17 years with polytrauma and chest injuries were studied. MDCT was performed on Philips Brilliance CT 16 and 64. Results . We retrospectively evaluated CT and clinical data of 147 patients, the main reason of polytrauma were traffic accidents (n = 91 – 61.9%), the rest was caused by fall from a height (56 – 38.1%). In 80% of cases the injury was severe and complex with not only lungs and chest damage, but also with other parts of the body: the head, the stomach, the pelvis and the limbs. Among 147 patients, pulmonary parenchyma damages in the form of injuries, less gaps, were detected in 70% of cases, pneumothorax – in 30% of cases, hemothorax – in 15%. Conclusion . MDCT significantly improves the detection of pulmonary damage in blunt thoracic trauma due to better visualization of bone, soft tissues and blood vessels damage and the possibility of obtaining multiplanar image reconstructions. MDCT allows to identify lung contusions and to differentiate areas of atelectasis and tears, to evaluate and calculate their volumes, and therefore should always be used as a primary imaging method in patients with polytrauma.