Keywords:
Abdomen, Trauma, CT, Embolisation, Surgery
Authors:
H. Lu, J. Han, N. Dudi-Venkata, S. Jolly, Y. Y. Ting, C. Dobbins, M. Thomas; SA/AU
DOI:
10.26044/ranzcr2021/R-0080
Purpose
The spleen is the most commonly injured organ in blunt abdominal trauma. (1) Management of blunt splenic injury includes conservative management, embolisation and splenectomy. (2) Management has progressively shifted towards non-operative management. This is due to factors including the increased risk of infection from encapsulated bacteria and surgical complications associated with splenectomy. (3, 4) Radiologists play a crucial role in determining injury severity by interpreting CT imaging. (1)
The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) injury scale is the most widely splenic injury grading system. (2) The 2018 update incorporates vascular injury, assigning patients with extravasation either grade 4 (confined to the splenic capsule) or grade 5 (extension beyond the splenic capsule). (5)
This study determines the frequency and consistency of the use of the AAST scale by radiologists. It also provides correlation with surgical management and clinical outcomes.