Incidental Findings on Multiple CT Scans for Evaluation of Serious Trauma

More than half of patients had one or more incidental findings, and one quarter of these findings required urgent or very close follow-up.

As computed tomography (CT) scans become more sensitive in identifying injury, the frequency of incidental findings increases as well. In this retrospective study of patients who presented to a single level I trauma center in Germany with suspected severe multiple injuries, researchers reviewed CT scans to identify and categorize incidental CT findings (those considered unrelated to the traumatic event). Of 2242 patients, 1812 underwent whole body CT (head, neck, chest, abdomen, pelvis), 131 underwent only head CT, and 93 underwent region-specific CT; 206 did not undergo CT.

A total of 1142 patients (51%) had incidental findings, with 701 of these patients (61%) having more than one. The 2844 incidental findings were categorized as not requi…

Reviewing Author

Richard D. Zane, MD, FAAEM

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Richard D. Zane, MD, FAAEM

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Incidental Findings on Multiple CT Scans for Evaluation of Serious Trauma

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Reviewing Author