Blunt trauma grafts better than surgery

HANOVER, N.H., Aug. 6 (UPI) -- U.S. medical scientists say they have determined interventional radiology treatments and not surgery are more effective in treating blunt trauma injuries.

The Dartmouth Medical School researchers found endovascular repair -- treating blood vessel injuries from inside the vessel -- nearly eliminates paraplegia, the loss of the ability to move or feel both legs. Paraplegia is a complication of surgical repair for thoracic aortic aneurysms.

Blunt trauma injuries occur from high-speed collisions or falls.

"Analysis of the available data provides unequivocal support for endovascular repair to replace open surgery as the procedure of choice for repair of the most common traumatic aortic injury," said Eric Hoffer, the medical school's director of vascular and interventional radiology. "This minimally invasive interventional radiology technique can decrease the death rate by half and diminish the risk of paraplegia by 75 percent, as compared to open surgical repair."

The research that included Andrew Forauer, Anne Silas and John Gemery is reported in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology.