Association of Chest Anteroposterior Radiography with Computed Tomography in Patients with Blunt Chest Trauma

In cases of chest trauma, computed tomography (CT) can be used alongside chest anteroposterior (AP) radiography and physical examination during initial evaluation. Performing a CT scan may be difficult if a patient has unstable vital signs. In contrast, radiography may not always reliably diagnose nonmarked pneumothorax or extensive subcutaneous emphysema.

This study aimed to determine the agreement between chest radiography and CT findings in patients with blunt chest trauma. The study also aimed to determine the occurrence of occult pneumothorax and clarify the proportion of subcutaneous emphysema and pneumothorax detected through radiography and CT, respectively.

We included patients (n = 1284) with chest trauma who were admitted to the emergency room of a tertiary hospital between January 2015 and June 2022. We excluded patients aged <18 years, those with stab injury, those without radiography and CT findings, and patients who required iatrogenic intervention, such as chest tube insertion, before imaging. We recorded age, sex, trauma mechanism, and Abbreviated Injury Scale score for each patient. From radiography and CT scans, we recorded the presence of rib fracture, subcutaneous emphysema, lung contusion, pneumothorax, and pneumomediastinum. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated to assess the reliability of radiography as a predictor of CT-based diagnosis.

Radiography exhibited a specificity of nearly 100% for all items. In most cases, findings that could not be confirmed by CT were not evident on radiographs. The incidence of occult pneumothorax was 87.3%. When subcutaneous emphysema was observed on radiography, CT findings indicated pneumothorax in 96.7% of cases.

In situations where the patient's vital signs are unstable and performing a CT scan is not feasible, the presence of subcutaneous emphysema on radiography may indicate the need for chest decompression, even if pneumothorax is not observed.