Table 33.

Descriptions of Blunt Aortic Injury Grades

Injury Grade	Descriptions
1	Minor intimal tear, intimal defect, or thrombus (≤10 mm)
2	Large intimal flap, intimal defect, or thrombus (≥10 mm in length or width)
3	Pseudoaneurysm
4	Aortic rupture

In their descriptions of management of BAAIs, Shalhub et al^1,2 use an aortic injury grading system described by Starnes et al¹³. Instead of using IMH to define grade 2 injuries, as did Azizzadeh et al,¹⁴ Starnes et al¹³ define grade 2 injuries based on a higher degree of intimal injury, defect, thrombus, or all of them to match radiographic findings that they deemed to be less ambiguous.

BAAI indicates blunt traumatic abdominal aortic injury; and IMH, intramural hematoma.