Items tagged “trauma”
113 results found
Article
Oesophageal perforation
Oesophageal perforation is a rare but serious medical emergency with a very high mortality rate, especially if the diagnosis is delayed.
Epidemiology
Most patients are in their sixties with a slight male predominance 5.
Clinical presentation
Oesophageal rupture is iatrogenic from instrument...
Article
Trauma in pregnancy
Trauma is a leading cause of mortality in pregnancy. Pregnancy increases the incidence and severity of abdominal trauma in females.
Epidemiology
Trauma affects up to 7% of pregnancies, and the incidence of pregnancy in level 1 trauma patients is estimated to be ~2% 1.
Pathology
Aetiology
...
Article
Liver trauma
The liver is one of the most frequently damaged organs in blunt trauma, and liver trauma is associated with a significant mortality rate.
Epidemiology
In blunt abdominal trauma, the liver is injured ~5% (range 1-10%) of the time 1,3.
Clinical presentation
Patients can present with right uppe...
Article
Splenic trauma
Splenic trauma can occur after blunt or penetrating trauma or secondary to medical intervention (i.e. iatrogenic). The spleen is the most frequently injured internal organ after blunt trauma.
Epidemiology
In blunt trauma, the spleen can account for up to 49% of abdominal organ injuries 2.
Cli...
Article
Adrenal gland trauma
Adrenal gland trauma most commonly results from blunt force trauma.
Epidemiology
Adrenal gland trauma is present on 1-2% of CT imaging in blunt trauma although the occurrence is thought to be much higher as injury has been demonstrated at 28% in one autopsy series 1-4.
The right adrenal glan...
Article
Bowel and mesenteric trauma
Bowel and mesenteric trauma can result from blunt force, penetrating and iatrogenic trauma. CT is the gold standard imaging modality but CT findings are nonspecific 12.
Epidemiology
The bowel and mesentery are injured in ~2.5% (range 0.3-5%) of blunt force abdominal trauma 1,3,5,8. However not...
Article
Isolated free fluid in trauma
Isolated free fluid in trauma may or may not represent a significant injury, and this creates a diagnostic dilemma in determining appropriate treatment for these patients.
Epidemiology
The presence of isolated free fluid in trauma occurs in 3-5% of blunt trauma patients 1-4.
Pathology
The c...
Article
Pancreatic trauma
The pancreas is uncommonly injured in blunt trauma. However, pancreatic trauma has a high morbidity and mortality rate.
Epidemiology
The pancreas is injured in ~7.5% (range 2-13%) of blunt trauma cases 1,3,7. Motor vehicle accidents account for the vast majority of cases. Penetrating trauma co...
Article
Sternal fracture
Sternal fractures occur in ~5% of blunt chest trauma with the manubrium being the most commonly injured part.
Epidemiology
Fractures of the sternum are seen in between 3-6.8% of all motor vehicle collisions 1.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) often results in sternal fractures, one autopsy...
Article
Aortic pseudoaneurysm
Aortic pseudoaneurysm typically occurs as a result of trauma +/- intervention, and is considered a subset of traumatic aortic injury in the majority of cases. They can be acute or chronic.
Pathology
Aortic pseudoaneurysms are contained ruptures of the aorta in which the majority of the aortic ...
Article
Proximal femoral fractures
Proximal femoral fractures are a subset of fractures that occur in the hip region. They tend to occur in older patients, and in those who have osteoporosis. In this group of patients, the fracture is usually the result of low-impact trauma although, in younger patients they are usually victims o...
Article
Pelvic bucket handle fracture
Bucket handle fractures of the pelvis are a result of anteroposterior compression energy vectors. It is described as a vertically-orientated fracture through ipsilateral superior and inferior pubic rami with contralateral sacroiliac joint disruption/dislocation 1, 2.
See also
pelvic fractures
...
Article
Ureteric injury
Ureteric injury is a relatively uncommon, but severe event, which may result in serious complications as a diagnosis is often delayed.
Clinical presentation
Ureteric injuries unreliably demonstrate macro- or microscopic haematuria as it may be absent in up to 25% of patients 5, 6. Classic cli...
Article
Aubergine sign (penis)
The aubergine sign (also known as egg-plant sign or deformity) is a clinical sign of a fractured penis. Haemorrhage beyond the tunica albuginea produces swelling and bruising of the penis simulating the appearance of an aubergine.
Article
Thoracolumbar injury classification and severity score (TLICS)
The thoracolumbar injury classification and severity score (TLICS), also sometimes known as the thoracolumbar injury severity score (TISS), was developed by the Spine Trauma Group in 2005 to overcome some of the perceived difficulties regarding the use of other thoracolumbar spinal fracture clas...
Article
Rib fractures
Rib fractures are a common consequence of trauma and can cause life-threatening complications.
Epidemiology
Associations
Rib fractures are often associated with other injuries and the greater the number of rib fractures the more likely are associated injuries 1,3:
brachial plexus or subclavi...
Article
Rhabdomyolysis
Rhabdomyolysis describes the breakdown of striated muscles with the release of intracellular contents and represents a severe muscle injury. MRI is the imaging modality of choice. Rhabdomyolysis is potentially life-threatening although recovery is excellent with early treatment.
Clinical presen...
Article
Seatbelt sign (abdomen)
The seatbelt sign is both a clinical and radiological sign. It is simply the presence of ecchymosis and/or abraded skin in the distribution of a seatbelt (i.e. horizontal and/or diagonal) extending across the abdomen evident after a motor vehicle accident.
Epidemiology
A positive abdominal sea...
Article
Spinal wedge fracture
Spinal wedge (compression) fractures are hyperflexion injuries to the vertebral body resulting from axial loading. Most commonly affecting the anterior aspect of the vertebral body, wedge fractures are considered a single-column (i.e. stable) fracture.
Terminology
Less commonly wedge fracture...
Article
Talar dislocation
There are many types of talar dislocation given its multiple articulations:
tibiotalar dislocation
subtalar dislocation
total talar dislocation
talonavicular dislocation
Chopart fracture-dislocation