Never refuse or delay a referral for a trauma CT because a patient is pregnant. In severe trauma in a pregnant patient, a CT is justified if the mother is unwell as her condition may be life threatening to not only herself but also the fetus.

Traumatic injuries in pregnancy are divided into maternal injuries, injuries to the gravid uterus and injuries to the fetus. Direct injury to the fetus is uncommon as it is protected by the maternal body wall, the uterus and amniotic fluid. Thus injuries to the fetus are most common in the third trimester when the volume of amniotic fluid relative to the volume of the fetus is reduced.