Computerised tomography – commonly known as CT scans – is an X-ray technique that produces images of the body's internal structures in cross sections.

Unlike two-dimensional X-rays, which are generated by beams of radiation from a stationary machine, CT scans couple powerful computers with an X-ray unit that rotates around the body.

Only within the last decade have full-body scans become feasible technically. But whether their systematic use for severe trauma patients was justified against cost and radiation exposure has remained highly debated.

A team of researchers led by Stefan Huber-Wagner of Munich University Hospital conducted the first large-scale study to find out whether the technique increased survival rates.