Blunt trauma of the heart: CT pattern of atrial appendage ruptures

Blunt trauma patients with myocardial ruptures rarely survive long enough t o reach a trauma center; however, for the survivors, prompt diagnosis and s urgery are mandatory and save up to 80% of patients. Preoperative diagnosis of myocardial ruptures is assessed by echocardiography or, more rarely, by angiocardiography. We report two cases of blunt trauma patients with an at rial appendage rupture which could be retrospectively identified on admissi on CT survey.