TRAUMATIC CHEST WALL INJURY WITH DIAPHRAGMATIC RUPTURE AND LUNG HERNIATION

Abstract

TOPIC: Cardiothoracic Surgery TYPE: Medical Student/Resident Case Reports INTRODUCTION: Traumatic diaphragmatic injuries are a rare injury that can occur after chest wall trauma. Injury to the diaphragm and its surrounding structures can easily be missed as the patients often have polytrauma. We present a case of a penetrating injury with blunt traumatic chest wall injury with diaphragm rupture and herniation of the left lung through the chest wall after a motorcycle collision. CASE PRESENTATION: A 24-year-old male presented to the hospital as a trauma alert after a motorcycle crash. The patient was found to have a large open chest wound with exposed lung and diaphragm. He was taken for CT imaging and found to have a left apical pneumothorax, left lung contusion, left rib fractures 2-10, and a grade 2 spleen laceration. The patient was taken for emergent exploration of his left chest wound. The patient was found to have disruption of his left chest wall and diaphragmatic attachments with rupture of the lateral aspect of his diaphragm at the level of rib 5-6. The wound was explored with evidence of injury to the left inferior lateral lobe of his lung. The lung did not require any resection. The entire left diaphragm was examined with the central tendon of the left diaphragm found to be intact, the diaphragm was repaired along the lateral edge and reattached to the costal cartilage laterally along the chest wall. The left chest was washed out and a chest tube was placed. The patients remaining hospital course was uneventful, and his chest tube was removed with no signs of air leaks. DISCUSSION: There are no specific signs of diaphragmatic injury or rupture on physical exam. Missed diaphragmatic injuries can result in major morbidity or mortality for the patient. All diaphragmatic injuries should be examined along with all surrounding structures at the time of diagnosis. Most diaphragmatic injuries occur on the left side as the right side is protected by the liver. We highly recommend CT imaging to examine the upper abdomen and chest. In the case of our patient which is rare, we were able to visualize his chest wall injury with his diaphragmatic injury on physical exam. When diagnosed early we recommend repair through the abdomen, but if found late repair through the chest is a better approach. In our case we were able to re-approximate the diaphragm to the chest wall. CONCLUSIONS: Traumatic injuries to the diaphragm can be tough to diagnose at times when there is not obvious injury noted to the diaphragm. We recommend full exposure of the diaphragmatic surface and examination of the surrounding organs and structures to rule out further injury that is not obvious on first examination. The diaphragm should be repaired and then reattached to the chest wall along its costal cartilage laterally. Complete repair with reattachment will allow the patient to avoid morbidity and mortality of a chronic diaphragmatic injury that could lead to impaired respiratory or chest wall function. REFERENCE #1: DeBarros, M., Martin, M.J. Penetrating Traumatic Diaphragm Injuries. Curr Trauma Rep 1, 91-101 DISCLOSURES: No relevant relationships by Michael Bishop, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Alyssa Ritchie, source=Web Response