Imaging characteristics and treatment strategies for carotid artery occlusion caused by skull base fracture:Three case reports

BACKGROUND Traumatic internal carotid artery(ICA)occlusion is a rare complication of skull base fractures,characterized by high mortality and disability rates,and poor prognosis.Therefore,timely discovery and correct management are crucial for saving the lives of such patients and improving their prognosis.This article retrospectively analyzed the imaging and clinical data of three patients,to explore the imaging characteristics and treatment strategies for carotid artery occlusion,combined with severe skull base fractures.CASE SUMMARY This case included three patients,all male,aged 21,63,and 16 years.They underwent plain film skull computed tomography(CT)examination at the onset of their illnesses,which revealed fractures at the bases of their skulls.Ultimately,these cases were definitively diagnosed through CT angiography(CTA)examinations.The first patient did not receive surgical treatment,only anticoagulation therapy,and recovered smoothly with no residual limb dysfunction(Case 1).The other two patients both developed intracranial hypertension and underwent decompressive craniectomy.One of these patients had high intracranial pressure and significant brain swelling postoperatively,leading the family to choose to take him home(Case 2).The other patient also underwent decompressive craniectomy and recovered well postoperatively with only mild limb motor dysfunction(Case 3).We retrieved literature from PubMed on skull base fractures causing ICA occlusion to determine the imaging characteristics and treatment strategies for this type of disease.CONCLUSION For patients with cranial trauma combined with skull base fractures,it is essential to complete a CTA examination as soon as possible,to screen for blunt cerebrovascular injury.

Spontaneous resolution of gallbladder hematoma in blunt traumatic injury:A case report

BACKGROUND We report a case of intragallbladder hematoma and biliary tract obstruction caused by blunt gallbladder injury.We report that the patient was safely treated by conservative treatment after the obstruction was resolved by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP).CASE SUMMARY A 67-year-old man was admitted via the emergency department due to complaints of right-sided abdominal pain that started 2 d prior.Four days prior to presentation,the patient had slipped,fallen and struck his abdomen on a motorcycle handle.His initial vital signs were stable.On physical examination,he showed right upper quadrant pain and Murphy’s sign,with decreased bowel sounds.Additionally,he had had a poor appetite for 4 d.He had been on aspirin for 2 years due to underlying hypertension.Initial simple radiography revealed a slight ileus.The laboratory findings were as follows:white blood cell count,15.5×103/µL(normal range 4.8×10^(3)–10.8×10^(3));hemoglobin,9.4 g/dL;aspartate aminotransferase/alanine transferase,423/348 U/L;total bilirubin/direct bilirubin,4.45/3.26 mg/dL;-GTP,639 U/L(normal range 5–61 U/L);and C-reactive protein,12.32 mg/dL(0–0.3).Abdominal computed tomography showed a distended gallbladder with edematous wall change and a 55 mm×40 mm hematoma.Dilatation was observed in both the intrahepatic and common bile duct areas.Antibiotic treatment was initiated,and ERCP was performed,with hemobilia found during treatment.After cannulation,the patient’s symptoms were relieved,and after conservative management,the patient was discharged with no further complications.After 1-month follow-up,the gallbladder hematoma was completely resolved.CONCLUSION In the case of traumatic injury to the gallbladder,conservative treatment is feasible even in the presence of hematoma.

The impacts of different embolization techniques on splenic artery embolization for blunt splenic injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Splenic artery embolization(SAE) has been an effective adjunct to the Non-operative management(NOM) for blunt splenic injury(BSI). However, the optimal embolization techniques are still inconclusive. To further understand the roles of different embolization locations and embolic materials in SAE, we conducted this system review and meta-analyses.Methods: Clinical studies related to SAE for adult patients were researched in electronic databases, included Pub Med, Embase, Science Direct and Google Scholar Search(between October 1991 and March 2013), and relevant information was extracted. To eliminate the heterogeneity, a sensitivity analysis was conducted on two reduced study sets. Then, the pooled outcomes were compared and the quality assessments were performed using Newcastle-Ottawa Scale(NOS). The SAE success rate, incidences of life-threatening complications of different embolization techniques were compared by χ2 test in 1 st study set. Associations between different embolization techniques and clinical outcomes were evaluated by fixed-effects model in 2 nd study set.Results: Twenty-three studies were included in 1 st study set. And then, 13 of them were excluded, because lack of the necessary details of SAE. The remaining 10 studies comprised 2 nd study set, and quality assessments were performed using NOS. In 1 st set, the primary success rate is 90.1% and the incidence of life-threatening complications is 20.4%, though the cases which required surgical intervention are very few(6.4%). For different embolization locations, there was no obvious association between primary success rate and embolization location in both 1 st and 2 nd study sets(P >0.05). But in 2 nd study set, it indicated that proximal embolization reduced severe complications and complications needed surgical management. As for the embolic materials, the success rate between coil and gelfoam is not significant. However, coil is associated with a lower risk of life-threatening complications, as well as less complications requiring surgical management.Conclusion: Different embolization techniques affect the clinical outcomes of SAE. The proximal embolization is the best option due to the less life-threatening complications. For commonly embolic material, coil is superior to gelfoam for fewer severe complications and less further surgery management.

Incidence of unexplained intra-abdominal free fluid in patients with blunt abdominal trauma

BACKGROUND: Intra-abdominal free fluid is commonly caused by injuries of solid or hollow organs in patients suffering from blunt abdominal trauma (BAT). However, it presents a diagnostic dilemma for surgeons when free fluid is unexplained, especially in stable BAT patients. This study was to analyze the incidence of such unexplained free fluid in BAT patients and its diagnostic value in abdominal organ injury. METHODS: Altogether 597 patients with BAT who had been treated at our trauma center over a 10-year period were reviewed. Stable patients with free fluid but without free air or definite organ injury on abdominal computed tomography were studied. Clinical management and operative findings were analyzed. RESULTS: Thirty-four (5.70%) of the 597 patients met the inclusion criteria: 24 (4.02%) underwent therapeutic exploratory laparotomy: bowel injuries were found in 13, hepatic rupture in 3, colon rupture in 3, duodenal rupture in 2, spleen rupture in 1, pancreas rupture in 1, and gallbladder perforation in 1. In 2 patients, laparotomy was nontherapeutic. Those with moderate or large amounts of free fluid were more likely to suffer from a hollow viscus injury and have a therapeutic procedure. The mean time of hospital stay for the delayed laparotomy group was longer than that for the emergency group (19 5.12 vs. 12 2.24 days; t=2.73, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: There was a positive correlation between the amount of unexplained free fluid and the determination of intra-abdominal organ injury. The proportion of BAT patients who required surgical intervention was high, particularly those with a moderate or large amount of free fluid, and most of them suffered from a hollow organ injury. Emergency laparotomy is recommended for these patients.

Blunt aortic injury-traumatic aortic isthmus pseudoaneurysm with right iliac artery dissection aneurysm:A case report

BACKGROUND Blunt aortic injury is a special type of aortic disease.Due to its low incidence,high prehospital mortality and high probability of leakage diagnosis,the timely identification of patients with blunt aortic injury who survive the initial injury has always been a clinical challenge.CASE SUMMARY We report a case of traumatic aortic pseudoaneurysm with right iliac artery dissection aneurysm that was diagnosed 3 mo after a traffic accident.The patient is a 76-year-old male who was knocked down by a fast-moving four-wheel motor vehicle while crossing the road(the damage mechanism was side impact).He received chest,cranial computed tomography(CT)and whole abdomen enhanced CT in the local hospital.The images suggested subarachnoid hemorrhage,right frontoparietal scalp hematoma,fracture of the right clavicle and second rib,lumpshaped mediastinal shadow outside the anterior descending thoracic aorta(mediastinal hematoma),mesenteric vascular injury with hematoma formation,pelvic fracture,and subluxation of the left sacroiliac joint.After the pelvic fracture was fixed with an external stent,he was sent to our hospital for further treatment.In our hospital,he successfully underwent partial resection of the small intestine and CT-guided screw internal fixation of the left sacroiliac joint and returned to the local hospital for rehabilitation treatment.However,since the accident,the patient has been suffering from mild chest pain,which has not aroused the attention of clinicians.During rehabilitation,his chest pain gradually worsened,and the thoracic aorta computed tomography angiography performed in the local hospital showed a pseudoaneurysm in the initial descending segment of the aortic arch.After transfer to our hospital,a dissecting aneurysm of the right external iliac artery was incidentally found in the preoperative evaluation.Finally,endovascular stent graft repair was performed,and he was discharged on the 10th day after the operation.No obvious endo-leak was found after 4 years of follow-up.CONCLUSION We highlight that emergency trauma centers should consider the possibility of aortic injury in patients with severe motor vehicle crashes and repeat the examination when necessary to avoid missed diagnoses.

Blunt injury to the thyroid gland: A case of delayed surgical emergency

Dear editor,Blunt trauma to the thyroid gland is a possibly lifethreatening condition known for years.However,only few cases have been reported in the English-language literature,so that no consensus has emerged as to its workup or management.These injuries are often associated with significant airway obstruction requiring emergent endotracheal tube intubation,surgical removal of the hematoma and

Safety and efficacy of Endovascular Management of high-grade blunt renal injury

Objectives:To provide data on the safety and efficacy of renal arterial embolization(RAE)in patients with highgrade blunt renal injury.Materials and methods:Fifteen patients with high-grade blunt renal injury(AAST grades IV-V)admitted to our hospital from July 2014 to December 2019 were retrospectively reviewed in this study.Their clinical success rate and complications were investigated accordingly.Results:Fifteen patients with high-grade blunt renal injury,13 men and 2 women with an average age of 41.6 years,including 11 hemodynamically unstable patients and 4 stable patients,were treated with RAE.Among these patients,73.3%(11 of 15)had grade IV,and 26.7%(4 of 15)had grade V injuries,while 53.3%(8 of 15)patients had concomitant injuries.One patient received main RAE and 14 patients received selective RAE.The clinical success rate after the first embolization was 93.3%(14 of 15).RAE was repeated and was successfully performed in one patient with sustained hematuria.No significant difference in creatinine levels was found before and after embolization.During the follow-up period of 2–82 months,two patients required tube drainage due to urine leaks,one patient developed renal failure requiring renal replacement therapy,and one patient developed secondary hypertension.Conclusions:RAE can provide a high success rate of hemostasis for both hemodynamically stable and unstable patients with high-grade blunt renal injury,and only minor complications are observed with this procedure.

Blunt Abdominal Trauma Leading to Pancreatic Injury in Childhood. Delay in Diagnosis Leads to Poor Outcomes—A Case Presentation

This case report illustrates the difficulty in diagnosing paediatric patients with life threatening pancreatic injuries. A high index of suspicion is essential as late diagnosis significantly affects outcomes. A 9-year-old child presented with epigastric pain following an accident on his pushbike. The patient was examined in paediatric accident and emergency (A/E) and was discharged. He returned twice more to A/E and on the third visit, 5 days after the initial incident, a CT scan was performed. This showed a classical injury to the body of the pancreas with a collection in the lesser sac. The patient was transferred to the regional hepato-pancreato-biliary unit (HPB unit) and underwent surgery. Pancreatic injuries can be difficult to detect clinically and patients may be well on initial presentation with normal observations and routine bloods. Early CT scanning confirms the diagnosis and results in early specialist referral and better outcomes.

Multiple portions enteral nutrition and chyme reinfusion of a blunt bowel injury patient with hyperbilirubinemia undergoing open abdomen:A case report

Blunt bowel injury(BBI)is relatively rare but life-threatening when delayed in surgical repair or anas-tomosis.Providing enteral nutrition(EN)in BBI patients with open abdomen after damage control surgery is challenging,especially for those with discontinuity of the bowel.Here,we report a 47-year-old male driver who was involved in a motor vehicle collision and developed ascites on post-trauma day 3.Emergency exploratory laparotomy at a local hospital revealed a complete rupture of the jejunum and then primary anastomosis was performed.Postoperatively,the patient was transferred to our trauma center for septic shock and hyperbilirubinemia.Following salvage resuscitation,damage control lapa-rotomy with open abdomen was performed for abdominal sepsis,and a temporary double enterostomy(TDE)was created where the anastomosis was ruptured.Given the TDE and high risk of malnutrition,multiple portions EN were performed,including a proximal portion EN support through a nasogastric tube and a distal portion EN via a jejunal feeding tube.Besides,chyme delivered from the proximal portion of TDE was injected into the distal portion of TDE via a jejunal feeding tube.Hyperbilirubinemia was alleviated with the increase in chyme reinfusion.After 6 months of home EN and chyme reinfusion,the patient finally underwent TDE reversal and abdominal wall reconstruction and was discharged with a regular diet.For BBI patients with postoperative hyperbilirubinemia who underwent open abdomen,the combination of multiple portions EN and chyme reinfusion may be a feasible and safe option.

Changes and significance of serum troponin in trauma patients: A retrospective study in a level I trauma center

BACKGROUND: Elevated troponin I(TnI) is common among trauma patients. TnI is an indicator of myocardial injury, but clinical diagnosis of blunt cardiac injury cannot be based solely on an increase in TnI. Therefore, this study aims to explore the changes and clinical significance of serum TnI in trauma patients. METHODS: The clinical data of consecutive trauma patients admitted to our trauma center between July 1, 2017 and July 31, 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. According to TnI levels within 24 hours of admission, patients were divided into the elevated and normal TnI groups. According to the TnI levels after 7 days of admission, a graph depicting a change in trend was drawn and then analyzed whether TnI was related to in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: A total of 166 patients(69 and 97 cases with elevated and normal TnI, respectively) were included in this study. The average hospital stay, intensive care time, mechanical ventilation time, and in-hospital mortality were higher in the elevated TnI group than in the normal TnI group(P<0.05). The TnI level of trauma patients gradually increased after admission and peaked at 48 hours(7.804±1.537 ng/mL). Subsequently, it decreased, and then recovered to normal within 7 days. However, 13 patients did not recover. Logistic regression analysis revealed that abnormal TnI at 7 days was independently related to in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Trauma patients with elevated TnI levels may have a worse prognosis. Monitoring the changes in serum TnI is important, which can reflect the prognosis better than the TnI measured immediately after admission.

Isolated blunt iliac artery injury successfully treated with endovascular stent

Common or external iliac artery injury due to blunt trauma is unusual without an associated pelvic fracture.Here we report on a 62 years old man that sustained left external iliac artery thrombosis due to blunt trauma following fall from motorbike.There was no immediate circulatory compromise.Contrasted CT of abdomen revealed an associated left lower abdominal wall traumatic hernia.The iliac artery was intervened with an endovascular stent to restore luminal flow and the hernia was repaired electively.The entire clinical course and management dilemma are described in this article.

Efficacy of new scoring system for diagnosis of abdominal injury after blunt abdominal trauma in patients referred to emergency department

Purpose: The blunt abdominal trauma (BAT) is a common emergency and is significantly associated with morbidity and mortality. Our study was conducted to achieve the goal that a new scoring system could be used for the BAT patients.Methods: The statistical population of this study was 1000 patients with BAT referred to emergency department of Imam Hossein Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Sampling was carried out in a convenience non-random manner and continued to reach the required sample size. All the patients with BAT due to road traffic accidents, falls, and other direct blunt traumas such as punctures and kickbacks were included in the study. Exclusion criteria were after 3 months of pregnancy, under the age of 18, warfarin taking, no reliable medical history providing and penetrating trauma. The study questionnaire was based on BAT scoring system. The data were analyzed by SPSS V20 software. The receiver operating characteristic curve was used to analyze the effectiveness of the new scoring system in predicting the BAT patients’ outcome.Results: The mean age of the patients (n = 1000) was (35.79 ± 13.09) years. The mean score of patients was (6.29 ± 5.80). Based on this scoring system, the patients were divided into three categories. The first group was patients at low risk with score of less than 8, the second group was patients at moderate risk with score of 8-12 and the third group was patients at high risk with score of 12-24. The score of 661 (66.1%) patients were low, 109 (10.9%) were moderate and 230 (23%) had a high score. The association between hip fracture and abdominal tenderness with abdominal injury was significant (p < 0.001). Cronbach’s alpha was 0.76 showing the reliability of this questionnaire to predict the future of patients.Conclusions: The study tool has a sensitivity to predict the BAT patients’ outcome, and has a proper specificity that can be used to reduce the use of harmful modalities such as computed tomography scan.

Grading system modification and management of blunt aortic injury

Background The traditional approach to blunt aortic injury （BAI） has been emergent intervention. This study aimed to utilize a modified imaging grading system that may allow us to categorize these injuries as needing emergent, urgent, or non-operative management. Methods From January 2003 to December 2011, 28 patients with BAI were managed at our institution. Imaging and medical records were reviewed retrospectively. BAI was classified into 4 grades based on imaging studies. Grade la： intimal tear, Grade Ib： intramural hematoma; Grade Ⅱ： intimal injury with periaotic hematoma; Grade Ilia： aortic transection with pseudoaneurysm, Grade Illb： multiple aortic injuries; and Grade IV： free rupture. Progression and clinical outcomes of ABI were analyzed. Results Of the 28 patients, 22 were males and 6 were females with mean age of 38 （range, 7-69） years, Twenty-five （89.3%） had descending thoracic aortic injury, two （7.1%） had abdominal aortic injury and one （3.6%） presented with multiple aortic injuries. Three patients （10.7%） with Grade I, 1 （3.6%） Grade Ⅱ, 22 （78.6%） Grade Ⅲ, and 2 （7.1%） Grade IV injuries. Twenty-five patients underwent thoracic endovascular aortic repair and 3 were managed medically. Median time between injury and surgical intervention was （2±1） days. One （3.6%） patient developed paraplegia after thoracic endovascular aortic repair （TEVAR）. One Type 2 endoleak spontaneously sealed within 1 month, and another patient died from ruptured Type 1 endoleak 3 years later. Median follow-up time was 16 （range, 1-96） months. Perioperative 30-day mortality rate was 3.6%. Conclusions This study based on our modified BAI grading system indicated that Grade Ⅰ BAI can be managed conservatively. Grade Ⅱ injury requires close observation and repeated computerized tomography angiogram （CTA） within 48-72 hours. If injury appears worse on follow up imaging, surgery should be performed. Delayed repair of Grade Ⅲ BAI is acceptable if associated life threatenina traumatic iniuries need to be addressed first.

Combined fenestrated/chimney thoracic endovascular repair for the treatment of blunt traumatic aortic injury:A case report

Blunt traumatic thoracic aortic injury(BTAI)is an extremely serious medical condition with a high rate of associated mortality.Recent advances in techniques such as thoracic endovascular repair offer new opportunities to manage the critical BTAI patients in an efficacious yet less invasive manner.A 65 year-old-male suffered from multiple injuries after a fall,including BTAI in the aortic arch,which resulted in dissection of the descending thoracic-abdominal aorta and iliac artery,development of an intimal flap in the left common carotid artery,and dissection of the left subclavian artery.Based on the imaging information of this patient and our clinical experience,the combined treatment of fenestrated thoracic endovascular repair and a chimney technique was immediately planned to fully repair these dissections and moreover prevent further dissection of the branching vessels,additionally to ensure sufficient blood flow in the left subclavian artery and left common carotid artery.The intervention yielded satisfactory early outcomes.Follow-up assessment at six months reported no symptoms or complications associated with the stent-graft.Computed tomography angiography further confirmed adequate stent-graft coverage of the aortic injury.

Unstable cardiac injury complicated with septic shock—a challenge

Background:Road traffic accident accounts for 70%to 80%of the blunt cardiac injury.The true incidence varies in the literature due to non-uniform criteria for diagnosis.Case Presentation:Here,we describe the case of a young male presenting after blunt chest injury and hemodynamic instability.Initially,the patient had frequent episodes of arrhythmias and hypotension due to cardiac injury per se.However,he was stabilized by day 2.Subsequently,patient developed cellulitis followed by septic shock and succumbed to cellulitis on day 5 of injury.Conclusion:Sepsis is difficult to be diagnosed and treated in the presence of cardiac injury.Myocardial depression has been found in sepsis,which contributes as an added comorbidity in an already compromised heart function.Sepsis also interferes with the diagnosis and follow-up of progress of blunt cardiac injury.