Contrast-enhanced ultrasound in the evaluation of splenic injury healing time and grade.

AIMS: To assess mean healing time of blunt spleen injuries managed nonoperatively using CEUS (contrast-enhanced ultrasound); to analyze whether spleen injury grade, subcapsular hematoma (SCH) presence, SCH grade and spleen infarct after spleen artery angioembolization could be related to healing time; and to evaluate CEUS sensitivity in diagnosing spleen injury and to assess CEUS performance in classifying spleen injury grade compared to CT.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: After CT evaluation in the Emergency Department, 101 hemodynamic stable blunt spleen trauma patients (73 males; 28 females; mean age 46.4 years, range 18-92) underwent serial CEUS follow-up examinations at pre-established intervals (1, 3, 8, 15, 30, 60, 90 and 180 days after trauma), until spleen injury became no more identifiable.

RESULTS: Mean CEUS examinations performed before spleen injury healing were 4.5; mean spleen injury healing time was 22.6 days. Spleen injury healing time was significantly related to spleen injury grade, subcapsular hematoma (SCH) presence, SCH grade and spleen infarct. CEUS spleen injury diagnostic sensitivity was 96.9% and, according to the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST)-spleen injury scale (SIS), CEUS-CT concordance was 95.8%.

CONCLUSIONS: Spleen injury healing time in blunt abdominal trauma nonoperatively managed is significantly related to AAST-SIS grade, SCH presence and grade, and spleen infarct development, and CEUS can be used in order to evaluate spleen injury grade.