Delayed Diagnosis of a Complete Bronchial Rupture after Blunt Thoracic Trauma

Abstract

Bronchial ruptures due to blunt chest traumas are rarely encountered injuries. They can be missed in the emergency room depending on the clinical findings. We present a case report of a previously healthy 32-year-old woman who received multiple rib and clavicula fractures on the right side in a traffic accident. The plain radiograms taken on the first and fifth day showed no other pathological findings than the above-mentioned fractures. Her control chest radiography, which was taken 7 weeks later, showed a totally opaque left hemithorax but no findings of pneumothorax were present. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy and virtual bronchoscopy showed a left main bronchial rupture. The patient was treated with an end-to-end anastomosis via left posterolateral thoracotomy.