Aortic injury with chance fracture in a child

To present the findings in a 10-year-old male with a Chance fracture and associated aortic vascular injury and review of the literature on the subject. We reviewed the clinical and imaging findings in a patient who was in a serious motor vehicle accident, sustaining a Chance fracture of the lumbar spine and associated aortic and common iliac vessel injury. We also accomplished a literature review. Evidence of an associated aortic injury was available on the initial computed tomography (CT) study, but the findings were more exquisitely demonstrated on reconstructed studies of the lumbar spine. Our literature review indicated that aortic injury associated with Chance fracture is relatively rare and often overlooked. Abdominal aortic injury although rare, can occur with Chance fractures. With the now present sophisticated CT imaging in most Emergency Rooms it is possible to obtain exquisite reconstructed images of all organ systems including the vascular tree. The images may provide enough details so that further delineation of any given problem may not be necessary.