CHICAGO, Dec. 4, 2024 — Research using radiological imaging reveals significantly higher injury rates among transgender women compared to cisgender women. These findings are being presented today at the Radiological Society of North America meeting.

The term ‘cisgender’ refers to individuals whose gender identity aligns with their assigned sex at birth, while ‘transgender’ describes individuals whose gender identity differs from their assigned sex at birth.

“Transgender women experience alarmingly high rates of violence,” explained lead researcher Rohan Chopra, an undergraduate student at Northeastern University in Boston and a research intern at the Trauma Imaging Research and Innovation Center (TIRIC) at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “They also face frequent discrimination, hate crimes, psychological abuse, and social isolation, increasing their vulnerability and hindering reporting of violence or escape from abusive situations.”

This groundbreaking study by TIRIC uses a case-control design to compare injury rates in transgender women and cisgender women based on imaging data.  

The study included 263 transgender women (aged 18+) and 525 cisgender women from the Research Patient Data Registry, matched for age, race, and ethnicity. All participants had undergone at least one imaging exam at a Massachusetts General Brigham affiliated hospital.

Among the transgender women, 67 (25.4%) sustained 141 injuries, while 77 (14.7%) of the cisgender women sustained 98 injuries. The study showed transgender women experienced eight times more head injuries, 36 times more facial injuries, and five times more chest injuries than the control group.

“Transgender women were five times more likely to have imaging in the emergency department, almost twice as likely to have imaging overnight or on weekends, and three times more likely to sustain injuries than cisgender women,” noted Chopra.

Of the 67 transgender women with confirmed injuries, 41.8% (28 of 67) reported interpersonal violence, and 28.4% (19 of 67) reported intimate partner violence (IPV). However, IPV screening was not conducted on 25 (37.3%) of these individuals.

Two radiologists, unaware of the study’s purpose and the participants’ transgender status, attempted to predict IPV based on radiology reports. They accurately identified IPV in approximately one-third of the transgender women who reported it.

“The significantly higher injury rates in transgender women, especially head, face, and chest injuries, and frequent emergency department visits, highlight a heightened risk of violence and deficiencies in preventive care,” said Bharti Khurana, M.D., M.B.A., the study’s principal investigator and founder and director of TIRIC. “Radiologists can play a crucial role in identifying at-risk patients and ensuring timely IPV screening and support for this vulnerable population.”

Other co-authors include Krishna Patel, M.P.H., Tatiana C. Rocha, M.D., Maria Duran-Mendicuti, M.D., Jessica C. Loftus, L.I.C.S.W., Jacqueline Savage Borne, L.I.C.S.W., Lauren Kourabas, L.I.C.S.W., Bernard Rosner, Ph.D., M.S., and Ole-Petter R. Hamnvik, M.D.

Note: Copies of RSNA 2024 news releases and electronic images will be available online at . 

RSNA is an association of radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists promoting excellence in patient care and health care delivery through education, research and technologic innovation. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Illinois.

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SOURCE Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)