Diagnostic imaging in pediatric polytrauma management

Radiol Med. 2015 Jan;120(1):33-49. doi: 10.1007/s11547-014-0469-x. Epub 2014 Nov 7.

Abstract

Trauma is the cause of over 45% of deaths in children aged 1 to 14 years. Since multiple injuries are common among children, the emergency physician has to assess all the organs of a high-energy injured child, independent of mechanism of the trauma. Even if the principles of polytrauma management are identical both in children and in adults, the optimal pediatric patient care requires a specific understanding of some important anatomical, physiological, and psychological differences that play a significant role in the assessment and management of a pediatric patient. Emergency Radiology already plays a crucial role in the diagnostic process of a polytraumatized child according to the primary survey, through the use of multiple imaging modalities. Radiological and Ultrasound examinations play a basic role in the hemodynamically unstable patients. In the hemodynamically stable patients whole-body CT scanning is the most immediate radiological procedure that allows the examination of all the body parts of a polytraumatized child, reducing the number of minor injuries that might otherwise be neglected.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Algorithms
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Diagnostic Imaging*
  • Emergency Medicine / methods*
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Multiple Trauma / diagnosis*
  • Pediatrics / methods*