Thoracic Vascular Injury

Abstract

Although rare, vascular injury represents one of the most feared complications of penetrating and blunt trauma. These life-threatening injuries can often be cured safely if detected early, especially in the era of vascular stenting. Original detection of aortic injury often relies on chest radiography and findings of mediastinal widening with displacement of structures away from the aortic isthmus. Great vessel injury may manifest with a mediastinal hematoma seen superiorly and on the right. Chest radiography is notoriously nonspecific as many causes of mediastinal widening may be encountered. Chest CT has become the standard for diagnosing thoracic vascular injury and relies on the identification of direct findings of vascular injury.