Fundamentals of Abdominopelvic Trauma (2023)-M1-CER05-2023

Video Transcription

Video Summary

Dr. Christina Lebedis from Boston Medical Center presented on blunt pancreatic trauma, emphasizing its rarity and challenges in diagnosis, with a primary focus on mechanism, grading, and management of pancreatic injuries using imaging techniques like CT, MRCP, and ERCP. She detailed that blunt trauma accounts for 60% of cases due to rapid deceleration injuries, such as seatbelt incidents. The pancreas, being subtle in imaging and having nonspecific clinical signs, requires a high index of suspicion and possibly repeated CT scans for accurate diagnosis. Its management, often hampered by delayed diagnosis, can lead to increased mortality. The presentation navigated through imaging strategies, including CT’s role despite its limitations in sensitivity and specificity, and stressed using multimodality approaches for accurate injury assessment. The grading of pancreatic injuries is crucial for determining management paths, with attention to the main pancreatic duct's integrity. In conclusion, Christina advocated for timely diagnosis and appropriate imaging to reduce patient morbidity and mortality. She highlighted that complex injuries, like those involving vascular aspects, and how imaging can underscore the severity and help tailor appropriate therapeutic interventions.

Keywords

blunt pancreatic trauma

diagnosis challenges

imaging techniques

CT scans

MRCP

ERCP

pancreatic injury grading

rapid deceleration injuries

mortality reduction

vascular injury management