| خلاصه مقاله | Some difference of pediatrics trauma in comparison with adults are exist
which are include, injuries regarded as common and serious in the adult
population such as spinal or pelvic injury are exceedingly rare in preadolescent children and Injuries regarded as life-threatening in the adult
population (for example, liver and spleen trauma) are routinely managed
conservatively in children and it has recently become increasingly clear that
the cancer risk of computed tomography (CT) in childhood is real, significant
and is higher in younger ages.
The use of adult protocols and in particular the „whole-body‟ CT trauma
survey is not appropriate as a routine investigation in childhood and
Exposure to ionizing radiation should always be kept to a minimum and the
„as low as reasonably achievable‟ (ALARA) principles should be adhered to.
In the acute pediatric trauma setting, there is currently no role for ultrasound
outside of assisting in interventional procedures and „Focused Abdominal
Sonography in Trauma (FAST) does not offer any additional information to
that obtained with a CT scan and should not be performed if it would delay
transfer to CT‟ with studies demonstrating negative predictive values of only
50–63% in unstable patients.
In the acutely injured child, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is primarily
reserved for potential spinal cord injury, though it is acknowledged that
access to MR imaging may be difficult.
CT is the primary investigation for cranial imaging in the child who has
suffered head trauma. It displays high sensitivity and specificity for
identification of traumatic brain injury and is readily available in most
centers.
Pediatrics cervical spine injury is uncommon thus Appropriate clinical
evaluation must be undertaken before imaging is performed as it is an
anatomical area that is relatively radiosensitive. Initial imaging of the cervical
spine may be with plain radiographs or CT scan depending on the clinical
situation.
The primary investigation for blunt chest trauma is the chest X-ray. This will
detect pneumothorax, hemothorax, rib fractures, gross mediastinal
abnormalities, diaphragmatic injuries and rib fracture. Penetrating trauma is
an indication for contrast-enhanced chest CT due to the incidence of occult
vascular injury.
Where clinically indicated, contrast-enhanced CT is the modality of choice
for the assessment of acute traumatic intra-abdominal injury. There are no
mechanisms of injury which mandate abdominal CT as an isolated factor and
Decisions to perform abdominal CT should be made on the basis of the
clinical history and examination. Pelvic fractures are rare in children and a
screening pelvic radiograph is not indicated in all cases and Pelvic imaging
should only be considered if there are concerns after clinical assessment
For limbs trauma, we should use the clinical history and examination, and
clinicians should request plain radiographs of the injured region as the
primary investigation. This will usually be anteroposterior and lateral views
including the adjacent joints.
Conclusion: This document provides clear evidence-based guidance for
those involved in imaging decisions for pediatric trauma. Injury patterns in
children differ vastly to those in adults; this important factor must be taken
into account. The need to keep radiation dose as low as possible while still
providing good quality examinations is paramount |