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Blunt chest trauma: classification and management

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Abstract

Blunt chest wall injuries are a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in trauma patients. Accurate identification and description of chest wall injuries by the radiologist can aid in guiding proper patient management. The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) has devised a classification system based on severity. This article describes the features of each injury grade according to the AAST injury scale and discusses the implications for management. Additionally, common mechanisms of blunt chest trauma and multimodal imaging techniques are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, 4th Floor, 263 McCaul Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1W7, Canada

    Alessandro Marro

  2. Department of Neurosurgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

    Vivien Chan

  3. Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada

    Barbara Haas & Noah Ditkofsky

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  1. Alessandro Marro
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  2. Vivien Chan
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  3. Barbara Haas
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Marro, A., Chan, V., Haas, B. et al. Blunt chest trauma: classification and management. Emerg Radiol 26, 557–566 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10140-019-01705-z

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