Is the screening portable pelvis film clinically useful in multiple trauma patients who will be examined by abdominopelvic CT? Experience with 397 patients.

The multiple trauma patient is usually initially imaged with a portable "trauma series" consisting of a lateral cervical spine film, a portable chest film, and a portable pelvis film (PPF). An investigation was performed to determine whether the screening PPF could be eliminated for multiple trauma patients being examined by abdominopelvic CT scan (APCT). A retrospective investigation analyzed all patients evaluated in our level I trauma center from 1 January to 31 December 2000 who were examined with a "trauma series" followed by an APCT scan within 8 h. The numbers and types of fractures diagnosed by PPF and by APCT were compared and correlated with clinical follow-up. Of 397 patients imaged by both PPF and APCT, 43 patients were diagnosed with 109 individual fractures by CT scan. The PPF did not detect 51 of the 109 individual fractures (47%) and failed to diagnose 9 of the 43 patients (21%) with a pelvic fracture. The PPF most often failed to detect sacral and iliac fractures. The four cases in which the PPF reported a fracture not listed in the APCT report were due to reporting errors or film artifacts. No soft tissue injuries were seen by PPF that were not also seen by APCT. We conclude that the screening PPF appears to be an unnecessary exam in multiple trauma patients about to be imaged by APCT scan.