For Diagnosis Of Head And Neck Injuries, Whole Body MDCT Just As 'Good' As Neck MDCT Angiography

Blunt cerebrovascular injuries can be diagnosed using whole body 16 multi-detector CT (MDCT); there's no need for an additional neck MDCT angiography examination according to a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Maryland Medical Center and R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, both in Baltimore, MD. The study showed that whole body MDCT is just as accurate as neck MDCTA.

"In the past, blunt trauma patients would undergo whole-body MDCT and if there was evidence of cerebrovascular injuries, the patient would also undergo a neck MDCT angiography exam," said Clint Sliker, MD, lead author of the study.

Blunt cerebrovascular injuries are uncommon but potentially devastating injuries that can lead to stroke and death. These include dissections, pseudoaneurysms, and arteriovenous fistulae.

source: MedicalNewsToday