Dataset Information

Accuracy of single-pass whole-body computed tomography for detection of injuries in patients with major blunt trauma.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Contrast-enhanced whole-body computed tomography (also called "pan-scanning") is considered to be a conclusive diagnostic tool for major trauma. We sought to determine the accuracy of this method, focusing on the reliability of negative results.

Methods

Between July 2006 and December 2008, a total of 982 patients with suspected severe injuries underwent single-pass pan-scanning at a metropolitan trauma centre. The findings of the scan were independently evaluated by two reviewers who analyzed the injuries to five body regions and compared the results to a synopsis of hospital charts, subsequent imaging and interventional procedures. We calculated the sensitivity and specificity of the pan-scan for each body region, and we assessed the residual risk of missed injuries that required surgery or critical care.

Results

A total of 1756 injuries were detected in the 982 patients scanned. Of these, 360 patients had an Injury Severity Score greater than 15. The median length of follow-up was 39 (interquartile range 7-490) days, and 474 patients underwent a definitive reference test. The sensitivity of the initial pan-scan was 84.6% for head and neck injuries, 79.6% for facial injuries, 86.7% for thoracic injuries, 85.7% for abdominal injuries and 86.2% for pelvic injuries. Specificity was 98.9% for head and neck injuries, 99.1% for facial injuries, 98.9% for thoracic injuries, 97.5% for abdominal injuries and 99.8% for pelvic injuries. In total, 62 patients had 70 missed injuries, indicating a residual risk of 6.3% (95% confidence interval 4.9%-8.0%).

Interpretation

We found that the positive results of trauma pan-scans are conclusive but negative results require subsequent confirmation. The pan-scan algorithms reduce, but do not eliminate, the risk of missed injuries, and they should not replace close monitoring and clinical follow-up of patients with major trauma.

SUBMITTER: Stengel D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3348190 | biostudies-literature | 2012 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Accuracy of single-pass whole-body computed tomography for detection of injuries in patients with major blunt trauma.

Stengel Dirk D Ottersbach Caspar C Matthes Gerrit G Weigeldt Moritz M Grundei Simon S Rademacher Grit G Tittel Anja A Mutze Sven S Ekkernkamp Axel A Frank Matthias M Schmucker Uli U Seifert Julia J

CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne 20120305 8

<h4>Background</h4>Contrast-enhanced whole-body computed tomography (also called "pan-scanning") is considered to be a conclusive diagnostic tool for major trauma. We sought to determine the accuracy of this method, focusing on the reliability of negative results.<h4>Methods</h4>Between July 2006 and December 2008, a total of 982 patients with suspected severe injuries underwent single-pass pan-scanning at a metropolitan trauma centre. The findings of the scan were independently evaluated by two ...[more]

PMID: 22392949

Similar Datasets

Project description:ImportanceAlthough several studies have demonstrated an improvement in mortality for injured adults who receive whole-body computed tomography (WBCT), it is unclear whether children experience the same benefit.ObjectiveTo determine whether emergent WBCT is associated with lower mortality among children with blunt trauma compared with a selective CT approach.Design, setting, and participantsA retrospective, multicenter cohort study was conducted from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2014, using data from the National Trauma Data Bank on children aged 6 months to 14 years with blunt trauma who received an emergent CT scan in the first 2 hours after emergency department arrival. Data analysis was conducted from February 2 to December 29, 2017.ExposuresPatients were classified as having WBCT if they received CT head, CT chest, and CT abdomen/pelvis scans in the first 2 hours and as having a selective CT if they did not receive all 3 scans.Main outcomes and measuresThe primary outcome was in-hospital mortality in the 7 days after ED arrival. To adjust for potential confounding, propensity score weighting was used. Subgroup analyses were performed for those with the highest mortality risk (ie, occupants and pedestrians involved in motor vehicle crashes, children with a Glasgow Coma Scale score lower than 9, children with hypotension, and those admitted to the intensive care unit).ResultsOf the 42?912 children included in the study (median age [interquartile range], 9 [5-12] years; 27?861 [64.9%] boys), 8757 (20.4%) received a WBCT. Overall, 405 (0.9%) children died within 7 days. After adjusting for the propensity score, children who received WBCT had no significant difference in mortality compared with those who received selective CT (absolute risk difference, -0.2%; 95% CI, -0.6% to 0.1%). All subgroup analyses similarly showed no significant association between WBCT and mortality.Conclusions and relevanceAmong children with blunt trauma, WBCT, compared with a selective CT approach, was not associated with lower mortality. These findings do not support the routine use of WBCT for children with blunt trauma.

Project description:ObjectivesControversies emerge over routine performances of whole-body computed tomography (WBCT) in patients with blunt polytrauma. The existing randomized and non-randomized evidence is inconclusive, and during observations of non-trauma, incidental findings, detected by WBCT, have left uncertainty regarding their consequences and optimal management. Additionally, previous meta-analyses have failed to address the limitations of primary studies and issues associated with incidental findings. Therefore, we planned a new systematic review to address these points.MethodsWe will search the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central databases from inception to December 31, 2020, with no language restriction and perform full-text evaluation of potentially relevant articles. We will include prospective and retrospective studies with a single-gate design that assessed diagnostic accuracy and/or yield of WBCT to detect traumatic injuries, and studies that assessed incidental findings detected by WBCT. Additionally, we will include randomized controlled trials and non-randomized comparative studies that assessed the effectiveness of WBCT against conventional care, including selective computed tomography (CT). Studies of patients of all ages with blunt traumatic injuries, assessed at an emergency department, will be included. Two reviewers will extract data and rate the study validity via standard quality assessment tools. The primary outcome of interest will be reduction in mortality. Our secondary outcomes will include diagnostic accuracy and yield, detection of incidental findings and clinical outcomes associated with these detections, and improvement in other non-mortality clinical outcomes. We will qualitatively assess study, patient, and intervention characteristics and clinical outcomes. If appropriate, we will perform random-effects model meta-analyses to obtain summary estimates. Finally, we will assess the certainty of evidence by the grading the quality of evidence and strength of recommendations.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval is not applicable, as this is a secondary analysis of publicly available data. The review results will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals.Prospero registrationCRD42020187852.

Project description:ImportanceInitial whole-body computed tomography (WBCT) for screening patients with suspected blunt multiple trauma remains controversial and a source of excess radiation exposure.ObjectiveTo determine whether low-dose WBCT scanning using an iterative reconstruction algorithm does not increase the rate of missed injury diagnoses at the point of care compared with standard-dose WBCT with the benefit of less radiation exposure.Design, setting, and participantsThis quasi-experimental, prospective time-series cohort study recruited 1074 consecutive patients admitted for suspected blunt multiple trauma to an academic metropolitan trauma center in Germany from September 3, 2014, through July 26, 2015, for the standard-dose protocol, and from August 7, 2015, through August 20, 2016, for the low-dose protocol. Five hundred sixty-five patients with suspected blunt multiple trauma prospectively received standard-dose WBCT, followed by 509 patients who underwent low-dose WBCT. Confounding was controlled by segmented regression analysis and a secondary multivariate logistic regression model. Data were analyzed from January 16, 2017, through October 14, 2019.InterventionsStandard- or low-dose WBCT.Main outcomes and measuresThe primary outcome was the incidence of missed injury diagnoses at the point of care, using a synopsis of clinical, surgical, and radiological findings as an independent reference test. The secondary outcome was radiation exposure with either imaging strategy.ResultsOf 1074 eligible patients, 971 (mean [SD] age, 52.7 [19.5] years; 649 men [66.8%]) completed the study. A total of 114 patients (11.7%) had multiple trauma, as defined by an Injury Severity Score of 16 or greater. The proportion of patients with any missed injury diagnosis at the point of care was 109 of 468 (23.3%) in the standard-dose and 107 of 503 (21.3%) in the low-dose WBCT groups (risk difference, -2.0% [95% CI, -7.3% to 3.2%]; unadjusted odds ratio, 0.89 [95% CI, 0.66-1.20]; P = .45). Adjustments for autocorrelation and multiple confounding variables did not alter the results. Radiation exposure, measured by the volume computed tomography dose index, was lowered from a median of 11.7 (interquartile range, 11.7-17.6) mGy in the standard-dose WBCT group to 5.9 (interquartile range, 5.9-8.8) mGy in the low-dose WBCT group (P < .001).Conclusions and relevanceLow-dose WBCT using iterative image reconstruction does not appear to increase the risk of missed injury diagnoses at the point of care compared with standard-dose protocols while almost halving the exposure to diagnostic radiation.

Dataset Information

Accuracy of single-pass whole-body computed tomography for detection of injuries in patients with major blunt trauma.

Background

Methods

Results

Interpretation

Publications

Accuracy of single-pass whole-body computed tomography for detection of injuries in patients with major blunt trauma.

Similar Datasets

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