In a study of 552 patients who had blunt chest trauma and resultant rib fracture (diagnosed on clinical or radiographic grounds), 93% of affected patients ultimately resumed daily activities without significant disability [2]. The chest radiograph may detect complications that are more important than the rib fractures themselves, such as pneumothorax, hemothorax, flail chest, or contusion [1,2]. Although a flail chest can usually be diagnosed at physical examination, it is conceivable that in a heavy patient a flail chest could be missed by clinical examination, but a chest radiograph almost always shows the displaced fragments. Dual-energy chest radiography with bone subtraction imaging has failed to show improved detection when aPanel Vice-Chair, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California. bPanel Chair, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee. cCharles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida. dSouthern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, Illinois; Society of Thoracic Surgeons. eUniversity of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; Society of Thoracic Surgeons. fMayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. gUniversity of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan. hUniversity of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa. iVanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee; American College of Chest Physicians. jRadiology Imaging Associates, Englewood, Colorado. kUniversity of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas. lJohn H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, Illinois; American College of Physicians. mNational Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. nUniversity of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. oSpecialty Chair, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin. Reprint requests to: publications@acr.org Rib Fractures compared with standard radiographs.
Rib Fractures. In a study of 552 patients who had blunt chest trauma and resultant rib fracture (diagnosed on clinical or radiographic grounds), 93% of affected patients ultimately resumed daily activities without significant disability [2]. The chest radiograph may detect complications that are more important than the rib fractures themselves, such as pneumothorax, hemothorax, flail chest, or contusion [1,2]. Although a flail chest can usually be diagnosed at physical examination, it is conceivable that in a heavy patient a flail chest could be missed by clinical examination, but a chest radiograph almost always shows the displaced fragments. Dual-energy chest radiography with bone subtraction imaging has failed to show improved detection when aPanel Vice-Chair, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California. bPanel Chair, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee. cCharles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida. dSouthern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, Illinois; Society of Thoracic Surgeons. eUniversity of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; Society of Thoracic Surgeons. fMayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. gUniversity of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan. hUniversity of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa. iVanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee; American College of Chest Physicians. jRadiology Imaging Associates, Englewood, Colorado. kUniversity of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas. lJohn H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, Illinois; American College of Physicians. mNational Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. nUniversity of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. oSpecialty Chair, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin. Reprint requests to: publications@acr.org Rib Fractures compared with standard radiographs.