Computed tomography angiography provides limited benefit in the evaluation of patients with pelvic fractures

Extravasation and outcomes in computed tomography and angiography in patients with pelvic fractures requiring transcatheter arterial embolization: A single-center observational study

BACKGROUND

Extravasation on contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) is a helpful indicator of the need for transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) for pelvic fractures. However, previous reports were inconsistent on cases in which angiography is necessary, even though there is no extravasation on computed tomography. This study aimed to describe and analyze the contradictory findings in cases where extravasation is observed on angiography but not on CECT, to contribute to improved management of patients with pelvic fractures.

METHODS

This was a retrospective single-center study. Patients with pelvic fractures who underwent CECT and TAE between 2014 and 2020 were included. We classified the patients into three groups: CECT and angiography with extravasation (CT+Angio+), CECT with no extravasation and angiography with extravasation (CT-Angio+), and CECT with extravasation and angiography without extravasation (CT+Angio-).

RESULTS

A total of 113 patients were included in the study: the CT+Angio+ group had 54 patients, CT-Angio+ group, 47; and CT+Angio- group, 12. The CT-Angio+ group had a significantly longer time from arrival to CECT than the CT+Angio+ group (27 minutes vs. 23 minutes, p < 0.05). The CT-Angio+ group had significantly more blood transfusions (fresh frozen plasma, platelets) within 24 hours than the CT+Angio- group did (p < 0.05), and ventilator management days (p < 0.05) and intensive care unit stays (p < 0.05) were significantly longer.

CONCLUSION

There was no significant difference in outcomes among the three groups. There was no difference in severity, transfusion volume, or mortality in patients with pelvic fractures needing TAE, classified as CT-Angio+, compared with that of CT+Angio+ patients. Even in the absence of extravasation in the pelvic region on CECT, angiography or TAE may still be necessary.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Therapeutic/Care Management, Level IV.

Diagnostic value of CT contrast extravasation for major arterial injury after pelvic fracture: A meta-analysis

PURPOSE

We conducted a meta-analysis to determine diagnostic performance of CT intravenous contrast extravasation (CE) as a sign of angiographic bleeding and need for angioembolization after pelvic fractures.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A systematic literature search combining the concepts of contrast extravasation, pelvic trauma, and CT yielded 206 potentially eligible studies. 23 studies provided accuracy data or sufficient descriptive data to allow 2x2 contingency table construction and provided 3855 patients for meta-analysis. Methodologic quality was assessed using the QUADAS-2 tool. Sensitivity and specificity were synthesized using bivariate mixed-effects logistic regression. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2-statistic. Sources of heterogeneity explored included generation of scanner (64 row CT versus lower detector row) and use of multiphasic versus single phase scanning protocols.

RESULTS

Overall sensitivity and specificity were 80% (95% CI: 66-90%, I2 = 92.65%) and 93% (CI: 90-96, I2 = 89.34%), respectively. Subgroup analysis showed pooled sensitivity and specificity of 94% and 89% for 64- row CT compared to 69% and 95% with older generation scanners. CE had pooled sensitivity and specificity of 95% and 92% with the use of multiphasic protocols, compared to 74% and 94% with single-phase protocols.

CONCLUSION

The pooled sensitivity and specificity of 64-row CT was 94 and 89%. 64 row CT improves sensitivity of CE, which was 69% using lower detector row scanners. High specificity (92%) can be maintained by incorporating multiphasic scan protocols.

Do we really need the arterial phase on CT in pelvic trauma patients?

PURPOSE

To evaluate whether an arterial phase scan improves the diagnostic performance of computed tomography to identify pelvic trauma patients who received angiographic intervention on demand of the trauma surgeon.

METHODS

This retrospective single-center study was performed at an academic Scandinavian trauma center with approximately 2000 trauma admissions annually. Pelvic trauma patients with arterial and portal venous phase CT from 2009 to 2015 were included. The patients were identified from the institutional trauma registry. Images were interpreted by two radiologists with more than 10 years of trauma radiology experience. Positive findings for extravasation on portal venous phase alone or on both arterial and portal venous phase were compared, with angiographic intervention as clinical outcome.

RESULTS

One hundred fifty-seven patients (54 females, 103 males) with a median age of 45 years were enrolled. Sixteen patients received angiographic intervention. Positive CT findings on portal venous phase only had a sensitivity and specificity of 62% and 86%, vs. 56% and 93% for simultaneous findings on arterial and portal venous phase. Specificity was significantly higher for positive findings in both phases compared with portal venous phase only. Applying a threshold > 0.9 cm of extravasation diameter to portal venous phase only resulted in sensitivity and specificity identical to those of both phases.

CONCLUSION

Arterial phase scan in addition to portal venous phase scan did not improve patient selection for angiography. Portal venous phase extravasation size alone may be used as an imaging-based biomarker of the need for angiographic intervention.

Early management of severe pelvic injury (first 24 hours)

OBJECTIVE

Pelvic fractures represent 5% of all traumatic fractures and 30% are isolated pelvic fractures. Pelvic fractures are found in 10 to 20% of severe trauma patients and their presence is highly correlated to increasing trauma severity scores. The high mortality of pelvic trauma, about 8 to 15%, is related to actively bleeding pelvic injuries and/or associated injuries to the head, abdomen or chest. Regardless of the severity of pelvic trauma, diagnosis and treatment must proceed according to a strategy that does not delay the management of the most severely injured patients. To date, in France, there are no guidelines issued by healthcare authorities or professional societies that address this subject.

DESIGN

A consensus committee of 22 experts from the French Society of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine (Société Française d'Anesthésie et de Réanimation; SFAR) and the French Society of Emergency Medicine (Société Française de Médecine d'Urgence; SFMU) in collaboration with the French Society of Radiology (Société Française de Radiologie; SFR), French Defence Health Service (Service de Santé des Armées; SSA), French Society of Urology (Association Française d'Urologie; AFU), the French Society of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery (Société Française de Chirurgie Orthopédique et Traumatologique; SOCFCOT), and the French Society of Digestive Surgery (Société Française de Chirurgie digestive; SFCD) was convened. A formal conflict-of-interest (COI) policy was developed at the onset of the process and enforced throughout. The entire guidelines process was conducted independently from any industry funding. The authors were advised to follow the principles of the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system to guide assessment of quality of evidence. The potential drawbacks of making strong recommendations in the presence of low-quality evidence were emphasised.

METHODS

Population, intervention, comparison, and outcomes (PICO) questions were reviewed and updated as needed, and evidence profiles were generated. The analysis of the literature and the recommendations were then conducted according to the GRADE^® methodology.

RESULTS

The SFAR Guideline panel provided 22 statements on prehospital and hospital management of the unstable patient with pelvic fracture. After three rounds of discussion and various amendments, a strong agreement was reached for 100% of recommendations. Of these recommendations, 11 have a high level of evidence (Grade 1 ± ), 11 have a low level of evidence (Grade 2 ± ).

CONCLUSIONS

Substantial agreement exists among experts regarding many strong recommendations for management of the unstable patient with pelvic fracture.

Severe pelvic injury: vascular lesions detected by ante- and post-mortem contrast medium-enhanced CT and associations with pelvic fractures

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this study were to compare arterial and venous contrast medium extravasation in severe pelvic injury detected by ante- and post-mortem multi-detector CT (MDCT) and determine whether vascular injury is associated with certain types of pelvic fracture.

METHODS

We retrospectively included two different cohorts of blunt pelvic trauma with contrast medium extravasation shown by MDCT. The first group comprised 49 polytrauma patients; the second included 45 dead bodies undergoing multi-phase post-mortem CT-angiography (MPMCTA). Two radiologists jointly reviewed each examination concerning type, site of bleeding and pattern of underlying pelvic ring fracture.

RESULTS

All 49 polytrauma patients demonstrated arterial bleeding, immediately undergoing subsequent angiography; 42 (85%) had pelvic fractures, but no venous bleeding was disclosed. MPMCTA of 45 bodies revealed arterial (n = 33, 73%) and venous (n = 35, 78%) bleeding and pelvic fractures (n = 41, 91%). Pelvic fracture locations were significantly correlated with ten arterial and six venous bleeding sites in dead bodies, with five arterial bleeding sites in polytrauma patients. In dead bodies, arterial haemorrhage was significantly correlated with the severity of pelvic fracture according to Tile classification (p = 0.01), unlike venous bleeding (p = 0.34).

CONCLUSIONS

In severe pelvic injury, certain acute bleeding sites were significantly correlated with underlying pelvic fracture locations. MPMCTA revealed more venous lesions than MDCT in polytrauma patients. Future investigations should evaluate the proportional contribution of venous bleeding to overall pelvic haemorrhage as well as its clinical significance.

Prediction of extravasation in pelvic fracture using coagulation biomarkers

PURPOSE

To evaluate the usefulness of coagulation biomarkers, which are easy and quick to analyze in emergency settings, for prediction of arterial extravasation due to pelvic fracture.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The medical records of pelvic fracture patients transferred to the emergency department of Gunma University Hospital between December 2009 and May 2015 were reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups, those with (Extra(+)) and without (Extra(-)) arterial extravasation on enhanced CT or angiography. Levels of fibrin degradation products (FDP), D-dimer, fibrinogen, the ratio of FDP to fibrinogen, the ratio of D-dimer to fibrinogen, systolic blood pressure, heart rate, the Glasgow Coma Scale, pH, base excess, hemoglobin and lactate levels, the pattern of pelvic injury, and injury severity score were measured at hospital admission, and compared between the two groups. Parameters with a significant difference between the two groups were used to construct receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

RESULTS

The study included 29 patients with pelvic fracture. FDP, D-dimer, the ratio of FDP to fibrinogen and the ratio of D-dimer to fibrinogen were the most useful parameters for predicting arterial extravasation due to pelvic fracture. FDP, D-dimer, the ratio of FDP to fibrinogen, the ratio of D-dimer to fibrinogen, and hemoglobin and lactate levels were significantly higher in the Extra(+) group than in the Extra(-) group (FDP, 354.8μg/mL [median] versus 96.6μg/mL; D-dimer, 122.3μg/mL versus 42.1μg/mL; the ratio of FDP to fibrinogen, 3.39 versus 0.42; the ratio of D-dimer to fibrinogen, 1.14 versus 0.18; hemoglobin, 10.5g/dL versus 13.5g/dL; lactate, 3.5mmol/L versus 1.7mmol/L). The area under the ROC curves for FDP, D-dimer, the ratio of FDP to fibrinogen, the ratio of D-dimer to fibrinogen, hemoglobin and lactate levels were 0.900, 0.882, 0.918, 0.900, 0.815 and 0.765, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Coagulation biomarkers, and hemoglobin and lactate levels could be useful to predict the existence of arterial extravasation due to pelvic fracture. The ratio of FDP to fibrinogen and the ratio of D-dimer to fibrinogen were the most accurate markers. Coagulation biomarkers may enable more rapid and specific treatment for pelvic fracture.