Trauma Radiology: Part III. Diagnostic and Therapeutic Angiography in Trauma

Angiography has a central role in both diagnosis and therapy of traumatic vascular injuries from blunt and penetrating mechanisms. Angiography is considered the "gold standard" for establishing the presence of vascular injury, but precise indications and appropriate timing of angiography in certain clinical situations, such as proximity injury to the extremities or penetrating neck injuries, remain controversial. We consider the role of angiography in the diagnosis of major arterial injury in the thorax, selective use of diagnostic and therapeutic angiography for intraabdominal trauma, identification and control of pelvic hemorrhage, and detection of vascular injury of the head, neck, and extremities.