Radionuclide diagnosis in chest disease resulting from trauma

Nuclear medicine procedures can be used effectively to assess abnormalities of the chest following thoracic or nonthoracic trauma. The most significant applications include studies of ventilation and perfusion in blunt chest trauma and burns, thromboembolism, and fat embolism syndrome. The evaluation of subtle fractures, pleural and pericardial fluid collections, mediastinal masses, and radiation damage by radionuclidic techniques is also useful. Considerable research will be required to ultimately define the role of nuclear medical procedures in the diagnosis of thoracic abnormalities in trauma.