To determine the value of CEUS in the follow-up of trauma patients, who sustained blunt or penetrating injuries to solid abdominal viscera in comparison to CT, which remains the gold-standard, in order to reduce the radiation exposure dose.

Single-center retrospective review of CT database of children and young adults referred for abdominal trauma over a 16-year period (1998-2013). CT scans were performed with post- contrast split-bolus or dual-phase protocol depending on the indication. We documented the number of CT and CEUS scans performed at follow-up and, when both available, we compared their results. We also recorded the number of patients who had CEUS alone as follow-up investigation. CEUS scans were performed by experienced radiologists, following informed parental consent with no adverse events. Normal...

A total of 766 children and young adults, (Female=161, Male=605, mean age 15yrs, range 9m-20y) were referred to CT for abdominal trauma. 112/766 (14.6%) patients had at least one follow up CT scan for solid organ abdominal injury, and of these, 37/112 (33%) patients underwent CEUS: in all cases complications were correctly diagnosed on CEUS when compared to CT, and in 3 of these cases CEUS diagnosed lesions not seen on CT. After the introduction of CEUS in 2011, 30/75 (40%) patients followed-up for solid...

Our experience demonstrates the usefulness and accuracy of CEUS compared to CT in the follow up of hepatic, renal and splenic injuries. With the introduction of CEUS we were able to reduce the number of CT scans performed in the follow up of these patients, reducing substantially the high cumulative radiation burden in a particularly susceptible population. The use of CEUS in children is an off-labeled practice, as no dedicated clinical trial has been conducted; however as with the majority of medication prescribed to children,...

ADDIN EN.REFLIST 1. Claudon M, Dietrich CF, Choi BI, Cosgrove DO, Kudo M, Nolsoe CP, et al. Guidelines and good clinical practice recommendations for Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) in the liver - update 2012: A WFUMB-EFSUMB initiative in cooperation with representatives of AFSUMB, AIUM, ASUM, FLAUS and ICUS. Ultrasound in medicine & biology. 2013;39(2):187-210. 2. Valentino M, Serra C, Pavlica P, Labate AM, Lima M, Baroncini S, et al. Blunt abdominal trauma: diagnostic performance of contrast-enhanced US in children--initial experience. Radiology. 2008;246(3):903-9. 3. Piscaglia F,...