Saudi Journal of Radiology
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Saudi Journal of Radiology

Volume 3, 2024 · Issue Proceeding of the 15th Annual Meeting of Radiology Society of Saudi Arabia (RSSA) · Open Access · Double-blind Peer-review

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Original Research Article

Investigation of Road Traffic Accident Trauma Cases: Occurrence and Diagnosis in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Shyma Alkhateeb1, Doha Doha J. Mandouh2 & Saddiq Jastaniah3

1 King Abdulaziz University

2 Radiology Department, King Fahad General Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

3 1Radiologic Sciences Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Published: 11 May 2026

https://doi.org/10.55038/cygksy67
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Abstract
Objectives: Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are a leading cause of emergency department admissions, and Jeddah City is no exception. In this study, we conducted a comparative analysis of male and female patients who sustained injuries in RTAs, considering factors such as age, site of injury, and the optimal diagnostic modality, computed tomography (CT) or X-ray radiography (XR), depending on the nature of the injury. Methods: Data was collected retrospectively from the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) at the Radiology Department of King Fahad General Hospital (KFGH). Collected data included patient demographics, injury locations, the initial diagnostic modality employed and its findings, and any subsequent diagnostic modality used, if necessary. We investigated the appropriateness of the initial diagnostic modality for each type of injury by comparing the diagnoses obtained from the first modality with those of the second modality. Results: Data from 200 patients (83.5% males; 16.5% females) was collected. Patients were categorized into four age groups: 16–23, 24–30, 31–60, and > 60 year old groups, accounting for 28.5%, 32%, 36%, and 3.5% of patients, respectively. The most common site of injury was polytrauma with 101 cases (50.5%), followed by head and spine injuries in 64 (32%) and 17 cases (8.5%), respectively. Notably, CT was the most commonly used first diagnostic modality, employed in 88.5% of cases, all cases of polytrauma injuries, and the majority of head (93.8%), spinal (56.3%), and facial (71.4%) injuries. Whereas radiography was primarily used for chest, lower, and upper limb injuries. Conclusions: Based on our findings, we recommend CT as the initial diagnostic modality for patients with polytrauma, spinal injuries, and head injuries resulting from RTAs. However, radiography remains a valuable diagnostic tool when transporting patients to a radiology department or for follow-up purposes.
Keywordsroad traffic accidents (RTA)trauma injurycomputed tomography (CT), X-ray radiography (XR)

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