Imaging of thoracic injuries

2.6.3 Conclusion: Diagnostic imaging plays a fundamental role in the evaluation of patients who sustain chest trauma, which is associated with high morbidity and mortality and is the leading cause of death in patients under 45 years old and the fourth cause of death in Western countries. Chest X-ray still represents the first imaging tool in the work-up strategy of chest trauma victims, allowing the detection of most life-threatening conditions; however, chest radiograph has shown low sensitivity and specificity, especially in critically ill patients, and the radiologist must have deep knowledge of the possibilities and limits of this imaging modality, which may not point out or underestimate even life-threatening lesions. For these reasons and due to its high accuracy, CT has assumed an increasing role in the evaluation of chest trauma patients. The introduction of MDCT has significantly improved the diagnostic capability of this technique, so much so that it has been recently proposed as a screening tool, especially in major traumas.