Traumatic memories: bridging the gap between functional neuroimaging and psychotherapy

Objective: Neuroimaging studies have highlighted important issues related to structural and functional brain changes found in sufferers of psychological trauma that may influence their ability to synthesize, categorize, and integrate traumatic memories. Methods: Literature review and critical analysis and synthesis. Results: Traumatic memories are diagnostic symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the dual representation theory posits separate memory systems subserving vivid re-experiencing (non-hippocampally dependent) versus declarative autobiographical memories of trauma (hippocampally dependent). But the psychopathological signs of trauma are not static over time, nor is the expression of traumatic memories. Multiple memory systems are activated simultaneously and in parallel on various occasions. Neural circuitry interaction is a crucial aspect in the development of a psychotherapeutic approach that may favour an integrative translation of the sensory fragments of the traumatic memory into a declarative memory system. Conclusion: The relationship between neuroimaging findings and psychological approaches is discussed for greater efficacy in the treatment of psychologically traumatized patients.

Low mechanical ventilation times and reintubation rates associated with a specific weaning protocol in an intensive care unit setting: a retrospective study

OBJECTIVES: A number of complications exist with invasive mechanical ventilation and with the use of and withdrawal from prolonged ventilator support. The use of protocols that enable the systematic identification of patients eligible for an interruption in mechanical ventilation can significantly reduce the number of complications. This study describes the application of a weaning protocol and its results. METHODS: Patients who required invasive mechanical ventilation for more than 24 hours were included and assessed daily to identify individuals who were ready to begin the weaning process. RESULTS: We studied 252 patients with a median mechanical ventilation time of 3.7 days (interquartile range of 1 to 23 days), a rapid shallow breathing index value of 48 (median), a maximum inspiratory pressure of 40 cmH2O, and a maximum expiratory pressure of 40 cm H2O (median). Of these 252 patients, 32 (12.7%) had to be reintubated, which represented weaning failure. Noninvasive ventilation was used postextubation in 170 (73%) patients, and 15% of these patients were reintubated, which also represented weaning failure. The mortality rate of the 252 patients studied was 8.73% (22), and there was no significant difference in the age, gender, mechanical ventilation time, and maximum inspiratory pressure between the survivors and nonsurvivors. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a specific weaning protocol resulted in a lower mechanical ventilation time and an acceptable reintubation rate. This protocol can be used as a comparative index in hospitals to improve the weaning system, its monitoring and the informative reporting of patient outcomes and may represent a future tool and source of quality markers for patient care.

Maternal smoking during pregnancy and primary headache in school-aged children: a cohort study

Background: It is not known whether smoking by mothers during pregnancy is associated with headache in their offspring. Methods: Two prospective cohorts of 869 children aged 10-11 years from Ribeirao Preto (RP) and 805 children aged 7-9 years from Sao Luis (SL) were studied. Data on maternal smoking were collected at birth. Primary headache was defined as a reporting of >= 2 episodes of headache in the past 2 weeks, without any associated organic symptoms. Results: Prevalence of headache was 28.1% in RP and 13.1% in SL as reported by the mothers and 17.5% in RP and 29.4% in SL as reported by the children. Agreement between mothers' report and children's self-report of primary headache in the child was poor. After adjustment, children whose mothers smoked >= 10 cigarettes per day during pregnancy presented higher prevalence of primary headache than their counterparts in both cohorts, as reported by the mother and in RP as reported by the children. Conclusions: Maternal smoking during pregnancy was associated with headache in 7- to 11-year-olds. With one exception, the consistency of the results, despite poor agreement between maternal and children reports of headache, indicates that maternal smoking during pregnancy may contribute to headaches in their children.

Giant cell bone lesions in the craniofacial region: a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge

Background: Giant cell tumors of bone (GCTs) are common in the long bones, but rare in the craniofacial region, with only 1% of cases occurring in the latter. Clinical, radiological, and anatomical diagnosis of this locally aggressive disease, which occurs in response to trauma or neoplastic transformation, poses a major challenge in clinical practice. Methods: The present study describes a series of 4 cases and highlights the main features of the differential diagnosis and treatment of these lesions: GCT, giant cell reparative granuloma (GCRG), and the brown tumor of hyperparathyroidism. Results: GCT presents as a benign neoplasm, most typically affecting the knees, and rarely in the temporal and sphenoid bones. It is radiologically indistinguishable from GCRG due to its lytic, poorly defined appearance. The distinction can only be made microscopically, as the presence of multinucleated giant cells scattered throughout the stroma and the absence of a history of trauma favor a diagnosis of GCT. The brown tumor of hyperparathyroidism occurs with rapid, localized osteoclast activity secondary to the effects of increased parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels; parathyroid examination is indispensable. Conclusion: The diagnosis and treatment of these lesions poses a major challenge due to their similar clinical presentation and radiological appearance. Accurate diagnosis is essential for definition of appropriate management, as complete resection is the goal in GCT and GCRG to avoid recurrence, whereas the brown tumor often yields to treatment of the underlying hyperparathyroidism.

Avaliação da qualidade do atendimento ao traumatizado através do estudo das mortes em um hospital terciário

OBJETIVO: Caracterizar os óbitos decorrentes de trauma em um hospital terciário e avaliar a qualidade do atendimento prestado a essas vítimas. MÉTODOS: Tratou-se de um estudo retrospectivo realizado em um centro de referência em trauma no período de um ano. Através da metodologia Trauma Score - Injury Severity Score e da revisão de prontuários foram identificadas e estudadas as mortes evitáveis, potencialmente evitáveis e inevitáveis. RESULTADOS: Setenta e cinco pacientes foram incluídos no estudo. Houve predomínio de mortes em pacientes jovens, do sexo masculino, vítimas de acidentes de trânsito. As médias do Revised Trauma Score, Injury Severity Score e Trauma Score - Injury Severity Score foram 5,60, 30,7 e 62,2%, respectivamente. A taxa de mortes consideradas evitáveis foi de 61,3%, potencialmente evitáveis, 24%, e inevitáveis, 14,7%. CONCLUSÃO: A amostra do estudo apresentou características epidemiológicas semelhantes às amostras de outros estudos, exceto pela alta taxa de mortes evitáveis e pelos altos valores do Revised Trauma Score. Houve dificuldades na obtenção de dados em prontuários, laudos de exames de imagem e laudos de necropsia. A qualidade do atendimento prestado às vítimas de trauma na Instituição se mostrou insatisfatória por problemas na coleta e armazenamento dos dados.

The uncertainty in standardised sound power measurements: complying with ISO 17025

In the context of “testing laboratory” one of the most important aspect to deal with is the measurement result. Whenever decisions are based on measurement results, it is important to have some indication of the quality of the results. In every area concerning with noise measurement many standards are available but without an expression of uncertainty, it is impossible to judge whether two results are in compliance or not. ISO/IEC 17025 is an international standard related with the competence of calibration and testing laboratories. It contains the requirements that testing and calibration laboratories have to meet if they wish to demonstrate that they operate to a quality system, are technically competent and are able to generate technically valid results. ISO/IEC 17025 deals specifically with the requirements for the competence of laboratories performing testing and calibration and for the reporting of the results, which may or may not contain opinions and interpretations of the results. The standard requires appropriate methods of analysis to be used for estimating uncertainty of measurement. In this point of view, for a testing laboratory performing sound power measurement according to specific ISO standards and European Directives, the measurement of uncertainties is the most important factor to deal with. Sound power level measurement, according to ISO 3744:1994 , performed with a limited number of microphones distributed over a surface enveloping a source is affected by a certain systematic error and a related standard deviation. Making a comparison of measurement carried out with different microphone arrays is difficult because results are affected by systematic errors and standard deviation that are peculiarities of the number of microphones disposed on the surface, their spatial position and the complexity of the sound field. A statistical approach could give an overview of the difference between sound power level evaluated with different microphone arrays and an evaluation of errors that afflict this kind of measurement. Despite the classical approach that tend to follow the ISO GUM this thesis present a different point of view of the problem related to the comparison of result obtained from different microphone arrays.

Memorie traumatiche, fotografie e intermedialità nella narrativa contemporanea di lingua inglese

La fotografia viene utilizzata intermedialmente per la narrazione di contromemorie e memorie traumatiche ricorrendo a numerose modalità e strategie di inserzione e impiego diverse. Se l’intermedialità da un lato non è riconducibile ad una serie di pratiche convenzionali, ma dipende dal contesto narrativo, dall’altro essa detiene un’organicità che la allinea funzionalmente ai processi e alle indagini sulla rappresentabilità del trauma. Inoltre, per la versatilità della sua natura poliedrica, la pratica narrativa intermediale (nelle sue configurazioni più diverse) assume una valenza epistemologica e metodologica nei confronti degli studi sull’esternazione e rielaborazione del trauma. Questo studio si prefigge di mettere a confronto testi teorici e testi narrativi per metterne in rilievo il reciproco apporto.

Therapeutisches drug monitoring bei antidepressiver Pharmakotherapie

Therapeutisches Drug Monitoring (TDM) umfasst die Messung von Medikamentenspiegeln im Blut und stellt die Ergebnisse in Zusammenhang mit dem klinischen Erscheinungsbild der Patienten. Dabei wird angenommen, dass die Konzentrationen im Blut besser mit der Wirkung korrelieren als die Dosis. Dies gilt auch für Antidepressiva. Voraussetzung für eine Therapiesteuerung durch TDM ist die Verfügbarkeit valider Messmethoden im Labor und die korrekte Anwendung des Verfahrens in der Klinik. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, den Einsatz von TDM für die Depressionsbehandlung zu analysieren und zu verbessern. Im ersten Schritt wurde für das neu zugelassene Antidepressivum Duloxetin eine hochleistungsflüssig-chromatographische (HPLC) Methode mit Säulenschaltung und spektrophotometrischer Detektion etabliert und an Patienten für TDM angewandt. Durch Analyse von 280 Patientenproben wurde herausgefunden, dass Duloxetin-Konzentrationen von 60 bis 120 ng/ml mit gutem klinischen Ansprechen und einem geringen Risiko für Nebenwirkungen einhergingen. Bezüglich seines Interaktionspotentials erwies sich Duloxetin im Vergleich zu anderen Antidepressiva als schwacher Inhibitor des Cytochrom P450 (CYP) Isoenzyms 2D6. Es gab keinen Hinweis auf eine klinische Relevanz. Im zweiten Schritt sollte eine Methode entwickelt werden, mit der möglichst viele unterschiedliche Antidepressiva einschließlich deren Metaboliten messbar sind. Dazu wurde eine flüssigchromatographische Methode (HPLC) mit Ultraviolettspektroskopie (UV) entwickelt, mit der die quantitative Analyse von zehn antidepressiven und zusätzlich zwei antipsychotischen Substanzen innerhalb von 25 Minuten mit ausreichender Präzision und Richtigkeit (beide über 85%) und Sensitivität erlaubte. Durch Säulenschaltung war eine automatisierte Analyse von Blutplasma oder –serum möglich. Störende Matrixbestandteile konnten auf einer Vorsäule ohne vorherige Probenaufbereitung abgetrennt werden. Das kosten- und zeiteffektive Verfahren war eine deutliche Verbesserung für die Bewältigung von Proben im Laboralltag und damit für das TDM von Antidepressiva. Durch Analyse des klinischen Einsatzes von TDM wurden eine Reihe von Anwendungsfehlern identifiziert. Es wurde deshalb versucht, die klinische Anwendung des TDM von Antidepressiva durch die Umstellung von einer weitgehend händischen Dokumentation auf eine elektronische Bearbeitungsweise zu verbessern. Im Rahmen der Arbeit wurde untersucht, welchen Effekt man mit dieser Intervention erzielen konnte. Dazu wurde eine Labor-EDV eingeführt, mit der der Prozess vom Probeneingang bis zur Mitteilung der Messergebnisse auf die Stationen elektronisch erfolgte und die Anwendung von TDM vor und nach der Umstellung untersucht. Die Umstellung fand bei den behandelnden Ärzten gute Akzeptanz. Die Labor-EDV erlaubte eine kumulative Befundabfrage und eine Darstellung des Behandlungsverlaufs jedes einzelnen Patienten inklusive vorhergehender Klinikaufenthalte. Auf die Qualität der Anwendung von TDM hatte die Implementierung des Systems jedoch nur einen geringen Einfluss. Viele Anforderungen waren vor und nach der Einführung der EDV unverändert fehlerhaft, z.B. wurden häufig Messungen vor Erreichen des Steady State angefordert. Die Geschwindigkeit der Bearbeitung der Proben war im Vergleich zur vorher händischen Ausführung unverändert, ebenso die Qualität der Analysen bezüglich Richtigkeit und Präzision. Ausgesprochene Empfehlungen hinsichtlich der Dosierungsstrategie der angeforderten Substanzen wurden häufig nicht beachtet. Verkürzt wurde allerdings die mittlere Latenz, mit der eine Dosisanpassung nach Mitteilung des Laborbefundes erfolgte. Insgesamt ist es mit dieser Arbeit gelungen, einen Beitrag zur Verbesserung des Therapeutischen Drug Monitoring von Antidepressiva zu liefern. In der klinischen Anwendung sind allerdings Interventionen notwendig, um Anwendungsfehler beim TDM von Antidepressiva zu minimieren.

Forensisch-anthropologische und traumatologische Untersuchungen an den menschlichen Skeletten aus der spätmittelalterlichen Schlacht von Dornach (1499 n. Chr.)

Der Forschungsgegenstand der vorliegenden Arbeit war die Identifikation und Interpretation von Traumata an menschlichen Skeletten. Neben einer umfassenden Darstellung des aktuellen Kenntnisstandes unter verschiedenen Gesichtspunkten wurden menschliche Überreste aus der Schlacht von Dornach 1499 n. Chr. untersucht. Ergänzend wurde eine Versuchsreihe mit Replika mittelalterlicher Waffen an Kunstköpfen durchgeführt. Für die Ansprache und Kategorisierung von Traumata an Skelettfunden existiert kein einheitliches und allgemein gebräuchliches System. Die verschiedenen Herangehensweisen und ihre Vor- und Nachteile wurden benannt und diskutiert. Nachfolgend wurden die Erscheinungsformen prä-, peri- und postmortaler Traumata bzw. Defekte sowie von Verletzungen durch stumpfe und scharfe Gewalt, Schussverletzungen und anderen Verletzungsarten dargestellt. Weitere besprochene Aspekte waren die Abgrenzung von Traumata gegen pathologische Veränderungen und anatomische Varianten sowie eine Diskussion der Methodik und Problematik der Erfassung von Verletzungsfrequenzen. Neben der Bestimmung von Geschlecht, Sterbealter und Körperhöhe wurden an den zur Untersuchung zur Verfügung stehenden Schädeln (N=106) und Femora (N=33) aus der Schlacht von Dornach 1499 n. Chr. pathologische und postmortale Veränderungen sowie als Schwerpunkt prä- und perimortale Traumata identifiziert und beschrieben. Die anthropologischen Befunde zeichneten das Bild einer in Hinsicht auf Sterbealter und Körperhöhe heterogenen Gruppe von Männern mit wenigen pathologischen Veränderungen. Die Ergebnisse wurden vor dem Hintergrund des spätmittelalterlichen Söldnerwesens diskutiert. An den Schädeln wurden insgesamt 417 perimortale Traumata identifiziert, wobei Hiebverletzungen stark überwogen. Die Entstehungsweise charakteristischer Merkmale von Hiebverletzungen konnte experimentell nachvollzogen werden. Weiter stellte sich heraus, dass Hiebverletzungen durch Schwerter und Hellebarden nur in Ausnahmefällen voneinander unterschieden werden können. Verletzungen durch punktuelle Einwirkungen und stumpfe Gewalt sowie Schussverletzungen wurden in weitaus geringerer Häufigkeit festgestellt. Experimentell konnte gezeigt werden, dass die Verletzungen durch punktuelle Einwirkungen mit einer Beibringung durch Langspiesse, Stossspitzen und Reisshaken von Hellebarden sowie Armbrustbolzen vereinbar sind, wobei beträchtliche Limitationen einer genaueren Waffenzuordnung offenkundig wurden. Die Verletzungen konnten als wohl typisch für die damalige Zeit bezeichnet werden, da sie das zeitgenössische Waffenspektrum deutlich widerspiegeln. Die Lokalisation der perimortalen Traumata am Schädel liess kein Muster erkennen, mit Ausnahme der Feststellung, dass grössere Schädelknochen mehr Verletzungen aufwiesen als kleinere. Diese regellose Verteilung wurde als Hinweis darauf verstanden, dass die Kampfweise keine „ritterliche“ gewesen sein dürfte, was in Einklang mit den damals geltenden Kriegsordnungen steht. Postmortale Veränderungen unterschiedlicher Art liessen vermuten, dass die untersuchten Individuen nicht bestattet wurden und dass die vom Schlachtfeld aufgesammelten Gebeine in Beinhäusern aufbewahrt wurden. Die Resultate bestätigten damit Angaben aus Schriftquellen und erlaubten die Zuordnung der Skelettreste zu Gefallenen des Reichsheeres. Beim Vergleich der Dornacher Stichprobe mit anderen mittelalterlichen Schlachtfeldserien traten sowohl hinsichtlich der anthropologischen Befunde als auch im Hinblick auf die Verletzungen und Verletzungsmuster deutliche Ähnlichkeiten zutage. Diese ergänzten nicht nur das lückenhafte Bild spätmittelalterlicher Heere und ihrer Kampfweise, sondern beleuchteten auch Unterschiede zwischen mittelalterlicher und neuzeitlicher Kriegsführung.

Mercato dell'informazione, posizionamento dei media e distorsioni: Un'analisi attraverso l'algoritmo Wordfish

Una stampa libera e plurale è un elemento fondante di ogni sistema democratico ed è fondamentale per la creazione di un’opinione pubblica informata e in grado di esercitare controllo e pressione sulle classi dirigenti. Dal momento della loro creazione i giornali si sono imposti come un’importantissima fonte di informazione per l’opinione pubblica. La seconda metà del Novecento, inoltre, ha conosciuto innovazioni tecnologiche che hanno portato grandi cambiamenti nel ruolo della carta stampata come veicolo di trasmissione delle notizie. Partendo dalla diffusione della televisione fino ad arrivare alla rivoluzione digitale degli anni ’90 e 2000, la velocità di creazione e di trasmissione delle informazioni è aumentata esponenzialmente, i costi di produzione e di acquisizione delle notizie sono crollati e una quantità enorme di dati, che possono fornire moltissime informazioni relative alle idee e ai contenuti proposti dai diversi autori nel corso del tempo, è ora a disposizione di lettori e ricercatori. Tuttavia, anche se grazie alla rivoluzione digitale i costi materiali dei periodici si sono notevolmente ridotti, la produzione di notizie comporta altre spese e pertanto si inserisce in un contesto di mercato, sottoposto alle logiche della domanda e dell'offerta. In questo lavoro verrà analizzato il ruolo della domanda e della non perfetta razionalità dei lettori nel mercato delle notizie, partendo dall’assunto che la differenza di opinioni dei consumatori spinge le testate a regolare l’offerta di contenuti, per venire incontro alla domanda di mercato, per verificare l’applicabilità del modello utilizzato (Mullainhatan e Shleifer, 2005) al contesto italiano. A tale scopo si è analizzato il comportamento di alcuni quotidiani nazionali in occasione di due eventi che hanno profondamente interessato l'opinione pubblica italiana: il fenomeno dei flussi migratori provenienti dalla sponda sud del Mediterraneo nel mese di ottobre 2013 e l'epidemia di influenza H1N1 del 2009.

Il linguaggio valutativo nel bilancio di sostenibilità: analisi trilingue basata su corpora

The aim of this dissertation is to analyze the language of evaluation in Italian, English and French sustainability reports in order to observe how firms build their corporate image and to investigate the kind of relationship they develop with their stakeholders. The analysis is carried out by applying Martin & White's Appraisal theory and corpus linguistics methods. For the purposes of this research, a multilingual specialized corpus of sustainability reports has been created, which is the result of two different levels of compilation. At the first level, three sub-corpora have been created with the aim of representing three different languages (Italian, English and French): at this level, the research on evaluative language will show that a standardization process of sustainability reports is underway. At the second level of compilation, each of the three sub-corpora has been split in two further sub-corpora, representative of two different business sectors: at this level, the research will show how the sector where firms operate directly influences the choice of the topics to be discussed. The first chapter of this dissertation introduces the concept of evaluative language, with a particular focus on the framework of Appraisal theory. The second chapter deals with corpus linguistics and describes different types of corpora, the search methods and the criteria for the compilation of corpora. The third chapter discusses the concepts of Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainability reports, focusing mainly on the reporting principles and the linguistic patterns of this genre, and provides an overview of the main guidelines and certifications for the reporting of sustainability actions. Chapter four is dedicated to the description of the methodology used for this research, while the last chapter presents and discusses the results of the analysis, in an attempt to draw generalizations on the use of evaluative language in this emerging genre.

Long-Term outcome in patients with mild traumatic brain injury: A prospective observational study

Mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) is common; up to 37% of adult men have a history of MTBI. Complaints after MTBI are persistent headaches, memory impairment, depressive mood disorders, and disability. The reported short- and long-term outcomes of patients with MTBI have been inconsistent. We have now investigated long-term clinical and neurocognitive outcomes in patients with MTBI (at admission, and after 1 and 10 years).

Water isotopic ratios from a continuously melted ice core sample

A new technique for on-line high resolution isotopic analysis of liquid water, tailored for ice core studies is presented. We built an interface between a Wavelength Scanned Cavity Ring Down Spectrometer (WS-CRDS) purchased from Picarro Inc. and a Continuous Flow Analysis (CFA) system. The system offers the possibility to perform simultaneuous water isotopic analysis of δ18O and δD on a continuous stream of liquid water as generated from a continuously melted ice rod. Injection of sub μl amounts of liquid water is achieved by pumping sample through a fused silica capillary and instantaneously vaporizing it with 100% efficiency in a~home made oven at a temperature of 170 °C. A calibration procedure allows for proper reporting of the data on the VSMOW–SLAP scale. We apply the necessary corrections based on the assessed performance of the system regarding instrumental drifts and dependance on the water concentration in the optical cavity. The melt rates are monitored in order to assign a depth scale to the measured isotopic profiles. Application of spectral methods yields the combined uncertainty of the system at below 0.1‰ and 0.5‰ for δ18O and δD, respectively. This performance is comparable to that achieved with mass spectrometry. Dispersion of the sample in the transfer lines limits the temporal resolution of the technique. In this work we investigate and assess these dispersion effects. By using an optimal filtering method we show how the measured profiles can be corrected for the smoothing effects resulting from the sample dispersion. Considering the significant advantages the technique offers, i.e. simultaneuous measurement of δ18O and δD, potentially in combination with chemical components that are traditionally measured on CFA systems, notable reduction on analysis time and power consumption, we consider it as an alternative to traditional isotope ratio mass spectrometry with the possibility to be deployed for field ice core studies. We present data acquired in the field during the 2010 season as part of the NEEM deep ice core drilling project in North Greenland.

Rationales for the Bernese approaches in acetabular surgery

PURPOSE: To present two new approaches to acetabular surgery that were established in Berne, and which aim at enhanced visualization and anatomical reconstruction of acetabular fractures. METHOD: The trochanteric flip osteotomy allows for surgical hip dislocation, and was introduced as a posterior approach for acetabular fracture management involving the posterior column and wall. For acetabular fractures predominantly involving the anterior column and the quadrilateral plate, the Pararectus approach is described. RESULTS: Full exposure of the hip joint, as provided by the trochanteric flip osteotomy, facilitates anatomical reduction of acetabular or femoral head fractures and safe positioning of the anterior column screw in transverse or T-shaped fractures. Additionally, the approach enables osteochondral transplantation as a salvage procedure for severe chondral femoral head damage and osteoplasty of an associated inadequate offset at the femoral head-neck junction. The Pararectus approach allows anatomical restoration with minimal access morbidity, and combines advantages of the ilioinguinal and modified Stoppa approaches. CONCLUSIONS: Utilization of the trochanteric flip osteotomy eases visualization of the superior aspect of the acetabulum, and enables the evaluation and treatment of chondral lesions of the femoral head or acetabulum and labral tears. Displaced fractures of the anterior column with a medialized quadrilateral plate can be addressed successfully through the Pararectus approach, in which surgical access is associated with minimal morbidity. However, long-term results following the two presented Bernese approaches are needed to confirm that in the treatment of complex acetabular fractures the rate of poor results in almost one-third of all cases (as currently yielded using traditional approaches) might be reduced by the utilization of the presented novel approaches.

Using micropower impulse radar technology to screen for pneumothorax: an international bi-institutional study

Pneumothoraces (PTXs) are a common entity in thoracic trauma. Micropower impulse radar (MIR) has been able to detect PTXs in surgical patients. However, this technology has not been tested previously on trauma patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of MIR to detect clinically significant PTXs. We hypothesized that MIR technology can effectively screen trauma patients for clinically significant PTXs.