CTICasesIntimal tear mimic
[...]. Intimal tear mimic. CTICases. Published September 21, 2018. https://str-case-explorer.pages.dev/c/c8qus
Imaging findings
Chest CT in a trauma patient shows a wispy, low-attenuation flap-like structure in the aorta near the diaphragm mimicking an acute traumatic intimal tear. Delayed imaging and a follow-up scan two days later showed a normal aorta without any tear, confirming a flow-related smoke artifact.
Key takeaways
Turbulent blood flow or mixing of contrast and non-contrast blood can create wispy, low-attenuation artifacts (smoke artifact) that mimic an acute traumatic aortic injury or intimal tear. Obtaining delayed-phase images or short-term follow-up scans can help differentiate artifacts from true vascular pathology.
AI-assisted summary — may contain errors. Verify against the source video. Learn more
More from this webinar
- Biomass fuel-induced pneumoconiosisExposure
- Pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosisILD
- Takayasu's arteritisAorta & Arteries
- Erdheim-Chester diseaseAorta & Arteries
- Granulomatosis with polyangiitisAutoimmune
- Calcified fibrin sheath embolusIatrogenic
- Small cell lung carcinomaNeoplastic
- Iatrogenic hemopericardiumPericardial
See all cases from September 21, 2018 →