The Role of Computed Tomography in Laryngotracheal Trauma: A Case Series

Abstract

Laryngotracheal injuries are uncommon but often life threatening. Forensically, the assessment of survived cases is usually based on the external findings and several subjective elements such as reports from the involved persons and witnesses. Therefore, the need for more objective methods is crucial for forensic experts. Clinical computed tomography (CT) is sufficiently advanced to provide detailed descriptions of the internal structures. This study aims to evaluate the use of CT in survived and non-survived cases of laryngotracheal trauma. A total of five patients were included in this study (4 survived cases and one deceased). Information and data were collected retrospectively from medical records; radiological images were analyzed. The study involved three cases with injuries which resulted from blunt trauma caused by an alleged boating accident and sporting accidents, as well as two cases with injuries as a result of medical malpractice. During history taking, type of injury may help in early diagnosis and fast provision of treatment to patients. Blunt types of injury may require the help of CT more than acute injuries for early diagnosis and treatment.

Keywords

• forensic sciences
• laryngotracheal
• computed tomography
• blunt trauma
• anatomy