Role of angiography in the detection of aortic branch vessel injury after blunt thoracic trauma.

PURPOSE: The occurrence of aortic arch branch vessel injury as an isolated occurrence or in association with aortic injury after blunt chest trauma has not been emphasized in the literature. The imaging evaluation is also controversial.

METHODS: We reviewed thoracic aortograms of 166 patients examined at our institution from May 1995 to May 1999 performed after blunt thoracic trauma. We evaluated the aortograms for aortic and arch branch vessel injuries. Twenty-four injuries were detected and all patients had either a wide mediastinum demonstrated on plain radiographs (22 patients) or mechanism of injury conducive to aortic injury.

RESULTS: Of the 166 patients, 24 (14%; 16 men, 8 women; mean age, 50 years) had aortic or arch branch vessel injuries. Isolated aortic injury occurred in 15 (9%) of 166 patients. Branch vessel injury occurred in 9 (5%) of 166 patients; seven patients (10 branch vessels) had isolated branch vessel injury and two patients (three branch vessels) had branch vessel injury associated with aortic injury. The injured branch vessels were brachiocephalic artery (four), left common carotid artery (four), left subclavian artery (three), right internal mammary artery (one), and left vertebral artery (one). The types of branch vessel injuries included intimal tears (nine vessels; 69%), and transection causing a pseudoaneurysm (four vessels; 31%). Revised Trauma Scores in patients with branch vessel injuries were 12 in seven patients and 11 and 4 in one each.

CONCLUSION: We emphasize the angiographic findings in these patients that can at times be quite subtle. Awareness of the incidence of such injuries either in isolation or associated with aortic injury has implications regarding evaluation of this patient population with less invasive techniques such as CT or transesophageal echocardiography.