Evaluation of pediatric high-energy trauma patients with whole-body computed tomography

Abstract

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the findings of whole-body computed tomography (WBCT) in pediatric high-energy trauma patients and to determine the distribution of injuries. Materials and Methods: The WBCT images of 1132 pediatric patients who were admitted to emergency department between 2013 and 2018 for high-energy trauma were evaluated retrospectively. Six hundred and twenty patients with abdominal, chest, head, and skeletal injuries were included. Results: Using the WBCT images, we detected skeletal injuries in 557 pediatric patients; spinal, rib, extremity, and pelvic fractures were detected in 113, 57, 51, and 37 patients, respectively. Craniofacial fractures were viewed in 299 patients. We detected intracranial hemorrhage, pulmonary contusion, pneumothorax, and solid organ injuries in 102, 115, 45, and 55 pediatric patients, respectively. Conclusion: The frequency and distribution of injuries in trauma cases vary between adults and children. While there are many studies about whole-body CT findings of adult trauma, there are only a few studies about pediatric high-energy trauma patients. The traumatic injury types also differ in pediatric age groups. WBCT scan (with pediatric radiation dose) is the fast and accurate diagnostic tool in high-energy trauma cases and therefore is associated with low mortality rates.