Role of MDCT (Multi-Detector CT) in the Evaluation of Early Diaphragmatic Rupture Injuries

Diaphragmatic injuries are not uncommon injury in the blunt abdominal trauma, having almost 0.8-8.0% of those blunt injuries. Multiple imaging tools are needed to evaluate the presence of those diaphragmatic tears. Some diaphragmatic injuries might be undiagnosed until late, especially those patients with early conventional films revealing still apparent intact copula, or those with basal hemi-thorax opacification, where the pleural fluid cannot be delineated from the diaphragmatic outlines. Each imaging modality from conventional chest radiographs, or the ordinary CT, can miss the earlyappearance of those tears. With the advances in CT technology, and introduction of multi-detector CT (MDCT), dramatic reduction of motion and beam-hardening have been implemented. The marked improvement in the spatial resolution especially with the improvement in the volume Z-Axis directionoffered by the MDCT with better isotropic recognition is also achieved. Also, there is the added value in detection of other multiple injuries offered by the extended field of view of the MDCT.