ArticleScandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine2017
The role of whole-body computed tomography in the diagnosis of thoracic injuries in severely injured patients - a retrospective multi-centre study based on the trauma registry of the German trauma society (TraumaRegister DGU
Article in Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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10 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 27 citations in OpenAlex.
- Imaging strategies for patients with multiple and/or severe injuries in the resuscitation room: a systematic review and clinical practice guideline update.European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2025Pooled it
- Diagnostic utility of whole-body computed tomography/pan-scan in trauma: a systematic review and meta-analysis study.Emergency radiology · 2024Pooled it
- Whole-Body Computed Tomography (WBCT) for the initial assessment of trauma patients: a retrospective observational study.Emergency radiology · 2026Observational
- Thoracic trauma WSES-AAST guidelines.World journal of emergency surgery : WJES · 2025Review
- Physical examination and CT to assess thoracic injury in 137 cats presented to UK referral hospitals after trauma.Journal of feline medicine and surgery · 2024Article
- Evaluation of the Spiral Chest CT Scan Findings in Patients with Multiple Trauma.Bulletin of emergency and trauma · 2023Article
- Blunt thoracic aortic injury and TEVAR: long-term outcomes and health-related quality of life.European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2022Article
- Dual-room twin-CT scanner in multiple trauma care: first results after implementation in a level one trauma centre.European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2021Article
- CT as a first-line modality in elderly patients with stable blunt chest trauma.Chinese journal of traumatology = Zhonghua chuang shang za zhi · 2021Article
- Pulmonary contusion.Journal of thoracic disease · 2019Review
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThoracic injuries are a leading cause of death in polytrauma patients. Early diagnosis and treatment are of paramount importance. Whole-body computed tomography (WBCT) has largely replaced traditional imaging techniques such as conventional radiographs and focused computed tomography (CT) as diagnostic tools in severely injured patients. It is still unclear whether WBCT has led to higher rates of diagnosis of thoracic injuries and thus to a change in outcomes.
methodsIn a retrospective study based on the trauma registry of the German Trauma Society (TraumaRegister DGU
resultsA total of 13,564 patients (pre-WBCT: n = 5005, WBCT: n = 8559) were included. Relevant thoracic injuries were detected in 47.8%. There were no major differences between the patient groups in injury severity (pre-WBCT: median ISS 21; WBCT: median ISS 22), injury patterns and demographics. After the introduction of WBCT, only minor changes were observed regarding the rates of most thoracic injuries. Clinically relevant injuries were pulmonary contusions (pre-WBCT: 18.5%; WBCT: 28.7%), injuries to the lung parenchyma (pre-WBCT: 12.6%; WBCT: 5.9%), multiple rib fractures (pre-WBCT: 10.6%; WBCT: 21.6%), and pneumothoraces (pre-WBCT: 17.3%; WBCT: 21.6%). The length of stay in the intensive care unit (pre-WBCT: 10.8 days; WBCT: 9.7 days) and in hospital (pre-WBCT: 26.2 days; WBCT: 23.3 days) decreased. There was no difference in overall mortality (pre-WBCT: 15.5%; WBCT: 15.6%).
conclusionsThe routine use of WBCT in the trauma room setting has led to changes in patient management that are not reflected in the rates of diagnosis of severe thoracic injuries (e.g. tension pneumothoraces, cardiac injuries, arterial injuries). By contrast, there was a relevant increase in the rates of diagnosis of minor thoracic injuries, which, however, did not result in an improvement in survival prognosis.
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