ABSTRACT
Aortic injury is a major concern in the setting of primarily blunt, but also penetrating, thoracic trauma. Computed tomographic (CT) is the most sensitive and specific modality for aortic trauma. As with all polytrauma cases, a ‘primary survey’ of CT imaging should be performed in an attempt to identify immediately life-threatening aortic injury. Pulmonary embolism is a medical emergency, although clinical presentation varies according to the degree of arterial occlusion. CT studies can yield information regarding the severity of cardiovascular compromise secondary to pulmonary emboli. Pulmonary oedema is a medical emergency and can be defined as an excess of fluid in the extravascular spaces of the lung, occurring when there is imbalance of fluid deposition and absorption. An understanding of the anatomy of the lung is necessary to appreciate the spectrum of abnormality seen in pulmonary oedema on both plain films and CT.
