Abstract

Aim: To determine the epidemiological and tomodensitometric aspects of multiple trauma patients who have benefited from a whole body CT scan at Kira Hospital in Bujumbura.

Patients and Methods: This is a descriptive retrospective study focusing on patients who underwent a whole-body CT scan for multiple traumas over a 20-month period from January 2016 to August 2017. The analysis focused on the following data: age, sex, multiple trauma circumstances, whole body scan protocol and CT results.

Results: This study involved 17 patients including 13 men (76.47%) and 4 women (23.53%), aged between 18 and 82 years. Their average age was 43.7 years. A road traffic accident was the main cause of multiple traumas (82,35%). During the whole body CT scan, traumatic lesions were found in 94.1% of patients. The most affected region was the thorax with 64.7% of cases, with a predominance of pleural lesions (52.94%). Abdomino-pelvic lesions were discovered in 47.1% of cases and intraperitoneal effusions represented 29.41% of cases. In the cranioencephalic stage, lesions were found in 29.41% of patients with a predominance of bone lesions (29.41%). Cervical lesions were less represented with a single case (5.88%).

Conclusion: A polytrauma patient presents with lesional polymorphism, with lesions predominantly on the thoracic level. The whole body computed tomography examination takes pride of place in establishing a complete and exhaustive lesion assessment.