CASE REPORTS  THORACIC SECTION 

The Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery 2002 October;43(5):747-9

Copyright © 2009 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Simultaneous surgical treatment of chronic post-traumatic aneurysm of the thoracic aorta, diaphragmatic hernia and giant emphysema bulla

Luciani N., Lapenna E., De Bonis M., Pirronti T., Possati G. F.

Department of Cardiac Surgery «Policlinico A. Gemelli» University Hospital Catholic University of The Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy

Tho­raco-abdom­inal ­blunt ­trauma can ­lead to mul­tiple inju­ries of sev­eral ­organs. We ­report a ­case of a ­patient in ­whom, 10 ­years ­after a ­trauma, a ­chest X-ray ­showed vis­ceral her­ni­a­tion ­into the ­left ­thorax. ­Angio com­puted tom­o­graphic ­scan (CTS) and mag­netic res­o­nance ­imaging (MRI) con­firmed ­these ­lesions and ­also ­showed a sac­cular tho­racic ­aortic aneu­rysm. ­During the sur­gical pro­ce­dure a ­giant ­post-trau­matic emphy­sema ­bulla of the ­left ­lower pul­mo­nary ­lobe was dis­cov­ered and ­repaired. In the pres­ence of dia­phrag­matic inju­ries, CTS and MRI are man­da­tory for ­excluding ­other ­organ involve­ment, and ­during the sur­gical pro­ce­dure, ­careful inspec­tion of ­left ­thorax and ­abdomen ­should ­always be ­done to ­repair ­other pos­sible inju­ries not ­seen ­before.