CTICasesTraumatic Aortic Transection
Imaging findings
A chest radiograph obtained immediately after a motor vehicle crash demonstrates a markedly widened mediastinum, severe rightward deviation of the trachea, loss of the aortopulmonary window, and abnormal left paraspinal contours. A subsequent chest CT demonstrates a complete transection of the thoracic aorta with a massive, surrounding mediastinal hematoma and active contrast extravasation extending into the lower chest.
Key takeaways
Traumatic transection of the thoracic aorta is an extremely severe, high-velocity injury that carries a very high mortality rate. While most patients with complete aortic transections do not survive long enough to undergo imaging, this case highlights the classic radiographic hallmarks of severe mediastinal hematoma, which must prompt immediate CT angiographic evaluation and surgical or endovascular intervention.
AI-assisted summary — may contain errors. Verify against the source video. Learn more
More from this webinar
- Thalassemia with Extramedullary HematopoiesisMetabolic
- Pulmonary CoccidioidomycosisInfection
- Surfactant Protein C Mutation-Associated Pulmonary FibrosisILD
- Iatrogenic Aortic Injury from Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump (IABP)Iatrogenic
- Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD)Vascular
- Post-Lobectomy Pulmonary Vein Stump ThrombusVascular
- Pulmonary ActinomycosisInfection
- Invasive Pulmonary AspergillosisInfection
See all cases from August 13, 2021 →
Related Trauma cases
- Wandering Pleural Bullet
- Traumatic Brachiocephalic Artery Injury and Intramural Hematoma
- Grade IV Blunt Aortic Injury with Active Extravasation
- Traumatic Right Subclavian Artery-to-Vein Fistula and Pseudoaneurysm
- Blunt Trauma with Sternoclavicular Joint Dislocation and Diaphragmatic Eventration Mimicking Rupture
- Traumatic Thyroid Hematoma