Aortic rupture: comparison of three imaging modalities.
We report a case of a 56-year-old man with traumatic aortic rupture (TAR) sustained in a motor vehicle accident diagnosed by helical computed tomography, aortography, and transesophageal echocardiography. A large majority of patients with TAR never make it to the hospital, and for those who do, a timely diagnosis is critical for survival. We discuss the merits and pitfalls of the three imaging modalities.
Sanchez-Ross
Monica
M
Department of Medicine, New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ 07103, USA.
Anis
Ather
A
Walia
Jasjit
J
Randhawa
Preet
P
Esrig
Barry C
BC
Banker
Michael C
MC
Eber
Corey
C
Maldjian
Pierre
P
Klapholz
Marc
M
Saric
Muhamed
M
D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D017541:Aneurysm, False / Q000175:diagnosis; D017545:Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / Q000175:diagnosis; D001019:Aortic Rupture / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D001027:Aortography; D003288:Contusions / Q000175:diagnosis; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D006491:Hemothorax / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D055370:Lung Injury; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012253:Rib Fractures / Q000175:diagnosis; D019616:Thoracic Surgical Procedures; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed