title: Multidetector CT findings of skeletal chest injuries secondary to cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rib and sternal fractures are frequent complications of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in adults. This is the first study to evaluate the MDCT findings of chest injuries secondary to CPR, by comparing with the findings of radiography.
  
  
  METHODS
  For 40 patients who underwent MDCT after CPR for a non-traumatic cause of cardiac arrest, we evaluated the MDCT findings of the CPR associated traumatic chest injuries and compared the diagnostic performance of chest radiography and MDCT for the evaluation of chest injuries.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MDCT revealed that 26 patients (65%) had rib fractures and 12 patients (30%) had sternal fractures. However, radiography detected only 10 patients who had rib fractures. In 25 of the 26 cases, multiple ribs were fractured (ranging up to 13 rib fractures), and the rib fractures were bilateral in 18 of these cases. The majority of rib fractures were located in the anterior part of the thoracic cage. Six of the patients had fracture-related complications (pneumothorax=1, subclavian vein injury=1, chest wall hematoma=4). The sternal fractures predominantly occurred in the middle and lower third of the sternal body (five each for the middle and lower third of the sternal body).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Rib and sternal fractures are frequent complications in patients who underwent CPR. MDCT is useful for the evaluation of chest injuries secondary to CPR as compared with that of radiography and also for the evaluation of the fracture-related complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Gachon University Gil Hospital Namdong-gu, Incheon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eun Young
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyuk Jun
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yon Mi
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.forename: So Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Jeong Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyung Sik
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hye-Young
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Choi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D061330:Multidetector Computed Tomography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012253:Rib Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology*; D013249:Sternum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries*