title: Abdominal crush injury in the Sichuan earthquake evaluated by multidetector computed tomography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the features of abdominal crush injuries resulting from an earthquake using multidetector computed tomography (MDCT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-one survivors with abdominal crush injuries due to the 2008 Sichuan earthquake underwent emergency non-enhanced scans with 16-row MDCT. Data were reviewed focusing on anatomic regions including lumbar vertebrae, abdominal wall soft tissue, retroperitoneum and intraperitoneal space; and types of traumatic lesions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fractures of lumbar vertebrae and abdominal wall soft tissue injuries were more common than retro- and intraperitoneal injuries (P < 0.05). With regard to the 49 lumbar vertebral fractures in 24 patients, these occurred predominantly in the transverse process (P < 0.05), and 66.67% of patients (16/24) had fractures of multiple vertebrae, predominantly two vertebrae in 62.5% of patients (10/16), mainly in L1-3 vertebrae in 81.63% of the vertebrae (40/49). Retroperitoneal injuries occurred more frequently than intraperitoneal injuries (P < 0.05), and renal and liver injuries were most often seen in the retroperitoneum and in the intraperitoneal space, respectively (all P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Transverse process fractures in two vertebrae among L1-3 vertebrae, injury of abdominal wall soft tissue, and renal injury might be features of earthquake-related crush abdominal injury.
authors.affiliation: Tian-Wu Chen, Zhi-Gang Yang, Zhi-Hui Dong, Heng Shao, Zhi-Gang Chu, Si-Shi Tang, Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China.
authors.forename: Tian-Wu
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Zhi-Gang
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Zhi-Hui
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Heng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.forename: Zhi-Gang
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Si-Shi
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Tang