Imaging in Abdominal Trauma: Solid Organ Injuries

Advances in imaging technologies, in particular for CT, have caused a paradigm shift in the detection and management of abdominal blunt trauma. In the past, patients with blunt trauma underwent laparotomy for detection and potential treatment of traumatic injuries. Current treatment options for blunt solid organ injuries include non- operative management, angioembolization, and surgery. CT scan is the diagnostic modality of choice for the evaluation of blunt solid organ trauma in hemodynamically stable patients. It is important that radiologists be familiar with the liver, spleen and kidney injury grading system based on CT features that was established by the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST). The AAST scale is the most widely used grading system across the world. Trauma surgeons expect radiologists to include AAST grading into their reports. Traumatic injuries of the pancreas are uncommon and often difficult to diagnose owing to subtle imaging findings, confounding multi-organ injuries, and nonspecific clinical signs. Imaging modalities have a vital role in diagnosis and management of pancreas trauma as well. In this presentation, we will talk about different imaging patterns of abdominal solid organs injuries and the latest AAST grading scale