title: ACR Appropriateness Criteria(®) blunt chest trauma--suspected aortic injury.
abstract: The purpose of these guidelines is to recommend appropriate imaging for patients with blunt chest trauma. These patients are most often imaged in the emergency room, and thus emergency radiologists play a substantial role in prompt, accurate diagnoses that, in turn, can lead to life-saving interventions. The ACR Appropriateness Criteria® are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed every 2 years by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and review include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer reviewed journals and the application of a well-established consensus methodology (modified Delphi) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures by the panel. In those instances where evidence is lacking or not definitive, expert opinion may be used to recommend imaging or treatment. Imaging largely focuses on the detection and exclusion of traumatic aortic injury; a large proportion of patients are victims of motor vehicle accidents. For those patients who survive the injury and come to emergency radiology, rapid, appropriate assessment of patients who require surgery is paramount.
authors.affiliation: Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Shadpour
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Demehri
authors.forename: Frank J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Rybicki
authors.forename: Benoit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Desjardins
authors.forename: Chieh-Min
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Scott D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Flamm
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Francois
authors.forename: Marie D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Gerhard-Herman
authors.forename: Sanjeeva P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Kalva
authors.forename: Hyun S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: M Ashraf
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Mansour
authors.forename: Emile R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Mohler
authors.forename: Isabel B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Oliva
authors.forename: Matthew P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Schenker
authors.forename: Clifford
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: Karin E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Dill
mesh_terms: D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000293:injuries*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000592:standards*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D006801:Humans; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000175:diagnosis*