During a CT for abdominal trauma which of the following statements is INCORRECT?
A. The arterial phase is captured 25 seconds after intravenous contrast injectionAnswer C
An emergency CT needs to be discussed with a radiologist, with a responsible doctor involved in the transfer of the patient if stable enough to undergo imaging. Prior to the emergency CT, the patient needs a urinary catheter and an intravenous cannula in place. 150 mL of intravenous iodinated contrast such as Omnipaque should be injected at 3 mL/ second. Patients are scanned in a cranio-caudal direction. The arterial phase is captured at 25 seconds and the venous phase at 60 seconds. EAU recommends a delayed abdominal and pelvic scan at 10–15 minutes to visualise the collecting systems in all patients with suspected renal trauma, with or without a cystogram. Images are generally obtained in 2.5-mm slices.
References and Further Reading:
Standards of practice and guidance for trauma radiology in severely injured patients, Second Edition. London, UK: The Royal College of Radiologists, 2015.