M. Martí de Gracia

Fractura de cuerpo cavernoso: la ecografía en el diagnóstico de urgencia

OBJECTIVE The main objective of this work is to study usefulness of ultrasound (US) for the emergency diagnosis of the penile fracture. MATERIAL AND METHODS We reviewed all the penile US studies registered in our Emergency Department between July 2007 and August 2009 with suspicion of a corpus cavernosum fracture. We compared US findings (subcutaneous haematoma, peri-albuginea haematoma, albuginea rupture and Bucḱs fascia rupture), and the clinical progress, with those of the surgery. We studied sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of US in the diagnosis of rupture of the tunica albuginea. The epidemiological data of all the cases reviewed were collected. RESULTS Twelve patients with a mean age of 37.8 years were reviewed. The most common cause of injury was sexual intercourse. A subcutaneous haematoma was found in nine patients, a peri-albuginea hematoma in eleven of the cases, and an albuginea rupture was seen in six of them. We found no Bucḱs fascia rupture. Seven patients underwent surgical treatment and in the remaining five patients, treatment was conservative. Clinical progress was good in all cases. US, as an emergency test to diagnose albuginea fracture gave 0.83 sensitivity, 1 specificity, 1 positive predictive value and 0.83 negative predictive value. CONCLUSION We believe that US is a useful procedure in the diagnosis of acute penile fracture and that it could be proposed as the diagnostic method of choice to confirm the clinical suspicion of penile fracture. Identifying the exact site of a tear in the tunica albuginea facilitates the surgical procedure.

[Radiological management of patients with multiple trauma: history and current practice].

Abstract The radiologist plays a crucial role in the multidisciplinary management of patients with multiple trauma. In the last few decades, technological advances and changes in the healthcare culture have led to changes in the imaging work-up of multiple trauma patients, with emphasis shifting from plain-film radiography to whole-body multidetector CT. This article describes the evolution of the different protocols and the current practice in the management of patients with multiple trauma. As a member of the multidisciplinary team, the radiologist must decide imaging wich one is the most adequate technique and protocol for each situation after taking in consideration the technological resources available.

Bilioma poscolecistitis aguda. A propósito de dos casos

A bilioma is an encapsulated collection of bile outside the biliary tree, which, in general, appears after a laceration in the biliary tract secondary to traumatism or to an iatrogenic lesion. Rarely, it occurs without a traumatic factor. We present two cases of bilioma as a complication of acute alithiasic cholecystitis. A review of the literature and the role of the ultrasonography in the diagnosis and management of biliomas is performed.

¿Es necesario realizar una angiografía por tomografía computarizada urgente en la hemorragia digestiva baja aguda? Proyecto MAPAC-IMAGEN

Acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding usually presents as hematochezia, rectal bleeding or melena and represents 1-2% of the medical appointments in the Emergency Services. Mortality reaches the 30-40% and it is highly related with the severity and associated comorbidity. Most clinical practice guidelines include colonoscopy at some point in the diagnostic and therapeutic process (urgent for severe cases and ambulatory for mild ones) and look for predictors of severity. In the last years, there have been numerous studies where is clear the relevance and complementarity of advanced diagnostic imaging techniques, gradually incorporated as an alternative or second step in severe cases. Therefore, we have made a review of current scientific evidence to establish a clinical prediction rule for optimal indication of CT angiography in these patients. However, future studies providing greater robustness and level of evidence are necessary.