The role of radiological diagnostic methods in complicated combat chest trauma

Abstract

Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of radiation methods for diagnosing combat chest trauma at the stage of specialised surgical care. Materials and methods. The results of diagnostic measures performed on 51 wounded with bilateral combat chest trauma were analysed. All the wounded underwent chest radiography (if necessary, in two projections). Ultrasound examination of the chest cavity was performed in real time. Spiral computed tomography was performed on multislice computed tomography scanners. Video thoracoscopy was performed in 20 (83.3%) of 24 wounded patients treated at the Department of Thoracoabdominal Surgery of the Zaitsev Institute of General and Emergency Surgery in 2022­2023. In 27 patients treated in the same department and the polytrauma department of the Kharkiv City Clinical Hospital of Emergency Medical Care named after Prof. O. I. Meshchaninov in 2014­2016, video thoracoscopy was not used as a diagnostic method. Results. An important advantage of spiral computed tomography was that this method makes it possible to accurately determine the nature of damage to the chest cavity organs, the bone skeleton of the chest, post­traumatic complications and plan surgical treatment (correction) of existing injuries at the stage of providing specialised thoracic surgical care, in particular, using thoracoscopic access. Conclusions. Combat chest trauma is a severe injury that should be considered within trauma protocols, where clinical signs are only informative in the early diagnostic stages for potentially fatal injuries.