Traumatic Internal Mammary Injury— A Literature Review and Guide for Management

Background: Traumatic internal mammary artery (IMA) injury is a rare but clinically significant injury since it is linked to various troublesome conditions. In this review, we aim to provide a complete description and a practical strategy for managing this injury.MethodsPubMed, Embase, and the Web of Science were searched from 1960 to 2019. We also reviewed IMA injuries in our hospital. Only traumatic IMA injuries were included. The demographics, diagnostic procedures, treatments and outcomes were recorded and analyzed.ResultsThere were a total of 72 IMA injury cases, including 4 in our hospital. The injuries were predominantly in males (79.2%), were on the left side (66.7%), were considered blunt injuries (63.9%), and featured mediastinal hematoma (62.5%). Computed tomography (CT) has been used to diagnose IMA injuries in recent years. Most patients could be managed by nonsurgical treatments (61.2%). The outcome for IMA injury is very good, with low morbidity and mortality rates.ConclusionsIdentifying traumatic IMA injuries requires alertness from the physicians. An appropriate management chosen according to the patient’s individualized condition could lead to a satisfying result.Trial registration: not applicable