Diagnostische Genauigkeit eines Ganzkörper-Linearröntgenscanners bei Polytraumapatienten im Vergleich zur Computertomografie

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evalu- ate the diagnostic accuracy of full-body linear X- ray scanning (LS) in multiple trauma patients in comparison to 128-multislice computed tomog- raphy (MSCT). Materials and Methods: 106 multiple trauma pa- tients (female: 33; male: 73) were retrospectively included in this study. All patients underwent LS of the whole body, including extremities, and MSCT covering the neck, thorax, abdomen, and pelvis. The diagnostic accuracy of LS for the detec- tion of fractures of the truncal skeleton and pneu- mothoraces was evaluated in comparison to MSCT by two observers in consensus. Extremity fractures detected by LS were documented. Results: The overall sensitivity of LS was 49.2%, the specificity was 93.3%, the positive predictive value was 91%, and the negative predictive value was 57.5%. The overall sensitivity for vertebral fractures was 16.7%, and the specificity was 100%. The sensitivity was 48.7% and the specifici- ty 98.2% for all other fractures. Pneumothoraces were detected in 12 patients by CT, but not by LS.40 extremity fractures were detected by LS, of which 4 fractures were dislocated, and 2 were fully covered by MSCT. Conclusion: The diagnostic accuracy of LS is lim- ited in the evaluation of acute trauma of the trun- cal skeleton. LS allows fast whole-body X-ray ima- ging, and may be valuable for detecting extremity fractures in trauma patients in addition to MSCT. Key Points: ▶ The overall sensitivity of LS for truncal skeleton injuries in multiple-trauma patients was <50%. ▶ The diagnostic reference standard MSCT is the preferred and reliable imaging modality. ▶ LS may be valuable for quickdetection of extre- mity fractures.