CT in pelvic trauma.

The use of computed tomography is extremely important in the care of patients with pelvic trauma. We believe that it should be performed on all patients with severe pelvic injury. It depicts the pelvic anatomy in exquisite detail, enabling one to plan therapy on the basis of pathologic anatomy rather than the presumed mechanism of injury. CT is more expensive than tomography but gives considerably more information at a lower radiation dose. It is also of considerable value in postoperative follow-up for determination of the adequacy of reduction and fracture healing.