Blunt trauma of the heart: CT pattern of atrial appendage ruptures

Abstract

Blunt trauma patients with myocardial ruptures rarely survive long enough to reach a trauma center; however, for the survivors, prompt diagnosis and surgery are mandatory and save up to 80 % of patients. Preoperative diagnosis of myocardial ruptures is assessed by echocardiography or, more rarely, by angiocardiography. We report two cases of blunt trauma patients with an atrial appendage rupture which could be retrospectively identified on admission CT survey.