Diagnostic imaging in pediatric polytrauma management

Trauma is the cause of over 45 % of deaths in children aged 1 to 14 years. Since multiple injuries are common among children, the emergency physician has to assess all the organs of a high-energy injured child, independent of mechanism of the trauma. Even if the principles of polytrauma management are identical both in children and in adults, the optimal pediatric patient care requires a specific understanding of some important anatomical, physiological, and psychological differences that play a significant role in the assessment and management of a pediatric patient. Emergency Radiology already plays a crucial role in the diagnostic process of a polytraumatized child according to the primary survey, through the use of multiple imaging modalities. Radiological and Ultrasound examinations play a basic role in the hemodynamically unstable patients. In the hemodynamically stable patients whole-body CT scanning is the most immediate radiological procedure that allows the examination of all the body parts of a polytraumatized child, reducing the number of minor injuries that might otherwise be neglected.