Thorax computed tomography findings in patients victims of chest trauma

Abstract

Objective: To describe thorax computed tomography findings in patients assisted in the emergency unit of Institute Dr Jose Frota (IJF). Materials and Methods: Descriptive study analyzing 160 consecutive contrast-enhanced thorax computed tomography of patients victims of thoracic trauma admitted to the emergency unit of IJF, between November 1st, 2014 and January 31st, 2015. Results: Abnormal findings were observed in 91,2 % of the patients. Among them, the following findings were most frequently observed: fractures (48%), hemothorax (43%), atelectasis (37%), pneumothorax (26%) and lung contusions (17%) Rupture of the esophagus was seen in three patients. Conclusion: We recognize that the findings encountered in our study are of similar prevalence to the ones reported in the literature and that CT scan is essencial to quickly diagnose these findings.