"Penetrating thoracic trauma most commonly affects the chest wall, pleura and lungs (up to 97%) with precordial and periclavicular injuries less common 1. Accurate identification of the entry site(s) is important, although it should be noted that the wound tract can appear remote due to respiratory motion."
"In the typical trauma setting a supine AP radiograph is acquired. Despite the inherent limitations of this technique, many pathologies can be easily identified 2:"
"pulmonary opacities representing contusion, laceration, etc"
"Penetrating thoracic trauma most commonly affects the chest wall, pleura and lungs (up to 97%) with precordial and periclavicular injuries less common 1. Accurate identification of the entry site(s) is important, although it should be noted that the wound tract can appear remote due to respiratory motion."
"In a stable patient, contrast-enhanced CT is the modality of choice to assess for thoracic injuries. CT can be used to delineate the wound track and identify any foreign bodies (e.g. bullets)."