American journal of surgery
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Comparative Study
Best poster award: accuracy of surgery residents' interpretation of computed tomography scans in trauma.
We evaluated the accuracy of surgery residents in interpreting computed axial tomography (CT) scans of trauma patients as compared with attending radiologists. ⋯ Surgical residents accurately identify acute injuries on the CT scans of trauma victims.
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Comparative Study
Screening cervical spine MRI after normal cervical spine CT scans in patients in whom cervical spine injury cannot be excluded by physical examination.
Cervical spine injuries can occur in as many as 10% of patients with blunt trauma with mental status changes from closed head injuries. Despite normal results on cervical spine computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is often recommended to exclude ligamentous or soft tissue injury. ⋯ The use of MRI in patients with normal results on cervical spine CT does not appear to alter treatment.