title: Diagnostic accuracy of CT scan in abdominal blunt trauma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of CT scan findings in patients with blunt abdominal trauma admitted to the university hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  All the patients with blunt abdominal trauma admitted at a tertiary teaching trauma center in Iran between 2005 and 2007 were enrolled in this study. In the absence of any clinical manifestations, the patients underwent a diagnostic CT scan. Laparatomy was performed in those with positive CT results. Others were observed for 48 hours and discharged in case no problem was reported; otherwise they underwent laparatomy. Information on patients?demographic data, mechanism of trauma, indication for CT scan, CT scan findings, results of laparotomy were gathered. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the CT-scan images in regard with the organ injured were calculated. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the CT scan were calculated in each case.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CT scan had the highest sensitivity for detecting the injuries to liver (100%) and spleen (86.6%). The specificity of the method for detecting retroperitoneal hematoma (100%) and injuries to kidney (93.5%) was higher than other organs. The accuracy of CT images to detect the injuries to spleen, liver, kidney and retroperitoneal hematoma was reported to be 96.1%, 94.4%, 91.6% and 91.6% respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of the present study reveal that CT scan could be considered as a good choice, especially for patients with blunt abdominal trauma in teaching hospitals where the radiologic academic staff is not present in the hospital in the night shifts.
authors.affiliation: Sina Trauma and Surgery Research Center, Sina Hospital, Medical Sciences/University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. mjsalimi@sina.tums.ac.ir
authors.forename: Javad
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Salimi
authors.forename: Khadyjeh
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bakhtavar
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Solimani
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Khashayar
authors.forename: Ali Pasha
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Meysamie
authors.forename: Moosa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zargar