Retrospective review of image quality of CT in polytrauma patients: comparison of patients scanned using a scoop stretcher and without a scoop stretcher.

Increasingly pre-hospital trauma management involves transfer of patients using a scoop stretcher; a number of computed tomography (CT) compatible scoops have recently appeared on the market. We sought to evaluate any differences in image quality in polytrauma patients scanned in a scoop stretcher. CT studies of 234 consecutive patients presenting between December 2011 and August 2012 at our regional level 1 tertiary trauma centre were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were allocated into two groups: those scanned with a scoop stretcher and without. CTs were reviewed by a consultant radiologist and two senior radiology trainees and graded separately for quality/artefact. A scale of 1-5 was employed: 1-uninterpretable, 2-borderline image quality, 3-acceptable, 4-good, 5-excellent. A total of 128 (54.7 %) patients were scanned in a scoop stretcher and 106 (45.3 %) were scanned without, 183 males and 51 females (average age, 46 (16-94) years; SD, 20). The average quality grading for the patients scanned in the scoop was 4.64 compared to 4.68 in those without the scoop. There was no significant grading difference between the groups, consultant (p = 0.096) and trainees (p = 0.782). No artefacts were attributable to the scoop stretcher 0/128 (0 %). Following our experience, the use of scoop stretchers is recommended for efficient, safe and practical management of trauma patients and in terms of imaging, with no detrimental effect on image quality.