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Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Novel and Innovative Hybrid Technique for Type A Aortic Dissection
Published on: March 28, 2025
Traumatic aortic injury: computerized tomographic findings at presentation and after conservative therapy
Farid Aladham1, Baskaran Sundaram, David M Williams
1Department of Radiology, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Objective:
To determine the computerized tomographic (CT) findings in traumatic aortic injury (TAI) at presentation and after conservative management.
Methods:
Institutional review board-approved retrospective review of trauma registry during a 6-year period identified class 1 or 2 trauma patients with TAI. The CT findings were correlated with patient outcome.
Results:
Forty-eight of 3350 patients had TAI. Seven had TAI limited to the abdominal aorta. Twenty-nine of 48 had early (12) or delayed (17) aortic repair. Common abnormalities were pseudoaneurysms (69%) and intramural hematoma (IMH) (65%). Forty-one of 48 TAI were confirmed on endovascular imaging or surgery. Subsequent CT was available in those who had delayed repair (n = 9) or conservative management (10) and showed stable pseudoaneurysms with resolving IMH (n = 11), resolving IMH (n = 4), intimal flap (n = 2), aortic thrombus (n = 1), and dissection (n = 1).
Conclusions:
Traumatic aortic injury is rare. It commonly involves thoracic aorta with pseudoaneurysm and IMH. Significant TAI in stable patients remains stable on follow-up imaging. Minor TAI may resolve with conservative therapy.
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