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Stress fracture of the sixth rib in an elite athlete.

We report on a previously unreported site of rib stress fracture in an elite athlete. A 27 year old sweep rower, a National champion and an Olympic finalist, presented with a 3-day history of the left-side thoracic pain. Technetium 99m bone scintigraphy showed increased focal uptake of the radioisotope, leading to the diagnosis of stress injury of the anterolateral part of the sixth rib. The probable mechanism of this injury was that strong muscle force itself was great enough to produce a fracture. In the case of our rower, the precipitation cause was only a slight change in the rowing technique, in contrast to all other reports on such rib fractures among rowers where the primary cause was an increase in the level of strength training. The treatment included a complete rest of the affected area and upper extremities, while the cardiovascular and strength fitness was maintained. The athlete was able to resume with his standard training routine less than four weeks after the onset of the symptoms.

Adult↗

Chronic herniation of the lung in a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Case report and review of the literature.

Lung herniation is a rare condition and can be classified by both anatomical site and etiology. A 70-year-old man was referred with dyspnea, productive cough, and right-sided chest pain. Radiological investigation showed healed rib fractures and a lung herniation between ribs 8 and 9. Two years after surgical repair the patient is free of complaints. Treatment can be conservative or surgical, but as experience is limited no long-term results have been reported.

Aged↗

Pulmonary function testing after operative stabilisation of the chest wall for flail chest.

OBJECTIVE: This is a prospective evaluation of chest wall integrity and pulmonary function in patients with operative stabilisation for flail chest injuries. METHODS: From 1990 to 1999, 66 patients (56 men, 10 women; mean age 52.6 years) with antero-lateral flail chest (> or =4 ribs fractured at > or =2 sites) underwent surgical stabilisation using reconstruction plates. Clinical assessment and pulmonary function testing were performed at 6 months following surgery. RESULTS: Fifty-five (83%) patients had various combinations of injuries of the thorax, head, abdomen and extremities. Sixty-three (95.5%) patients underwent unilateral and 3 (4.5%) patients bilateral stabilisation with a median delay of 2.8 days (range 0-21 days) from admission. The 30-day mortality was 11% (seven of 66 patients). Immediate postoperative extubation was feasible in 31 of 66 patients (47%) and extubation within 7 days following stabilisation in 56 of 66 patients (85%). No plate dislocation was observed during the follow-up. The shoulder girdle function was intact in 51 of 57 patients (90%). Chest wall complaints were noted in 6 of 57 (11%) patients, requiring removal of implants in three cases. All patients returned to work within a mean period of 8 (range 3-16) weeks following discharge. Pulmonary function testing (n=50) at 6 months after the operation revealed a significant difference of predicted vs. recorded vital capacity (VC) and forced expiratory volume in 1s (FEV1) (P=0.04 and P=0.0001, respectively; Wilcoxon signed-rank test). The median ratio of the recorded and predicted total lung capacity (TLC) was shown to be significantly higher than 0.85 (P=0.0002; Wilcoxon signed-rank test), indicating prevention of pulmonary restriction. CONCLUSION: Antero-lateral flail chest injuries accompanied by respiratory insufficiency can be effectively stabilised using reconstruction plates. Early restoration of the chest wall integrity and respiratory pump function may be cost effective through the prevention of prolonged mechanical ventilation and restriction-related working incapacity.

Adult↗

Fatal cardiovascular injuries to the unbelted occupant associated with airbag deployment: two case-reports.

We present two forensic autopsy cases of unbelted occupants associated with the airbag deployment in motor vehicle collisions. Both victims suffered from cardiovascular injuries which were the cause of death. Case 1: A 50-year-old man sustained a contusion on the left anterior chest with rib fractures and laceration of the intrapericardial inferior vena cava, the right ventricle, and the right pleuropericardium. Case 2: A 40-year-old man sustained multiple rib fractures, sternal fracture, and the rupture of the right ventricle. Autopsies and vehicle examinations revealed that both victims' chest seemed to strike the steering wheel through the deployed airbag. Therefore, we determined that the source of blunt impact force is the steering wheel through the airbag rather than airbag deployment only. In light of these two cases, we learned that the steering wheel should be considered as the blunt impact force inducing cardiovascular injuries even in cases in which the airbag has been deployed.

Journal Article↗

Role of the trauma-room chest x-ray film in assessing the patient with severe blunt traumatic injury.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the accuracy of standard trauma-room chest x-ray films in assessing blunt abdominal trauma and to determine the significance of missed injuries under these circumstances. DESIGN: A retrospective review. SETTING: A regional trauma unit in a tertiary-care institution. PATIENTS: Multiply injured trauma patients admitted between January 1988 and December 1990 who died within 24 hours of injury and in whom an autopsy was done. INTERVENTION: Standard radiography of the chest. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Chest injuries diagnosed and recorded by the trauma room team from standard anteroposterior x-ray films compared with the findings at autopsy and with review of the films by a staff radiologist initially having no knowledge of the injuries and later, if injuries remained undetected, having knowledge of the autopsy findings. RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients met the study criteria, and their cases were reviewed. In 11 cases, significant injuries were noted at autopsy and not by the trauma-room team, and in 7 cases these injuries were also missed by the reviewing radiologist. Injuries missed by the team were: multiple rib fractures (11 cases), sternal fractures (3 cases), diaphragmatic tear (2 cases) and intimal aortic tear (1 case). In five cases, chest tubes were not inserted despite the presence (undiagnosed) of multiple rib fractures and need for intubation and positive-pressure ventilation. CONCLUSIONS: Significant blunt abdominal trauma, potentially requiring operative management or chest-tube insertion, may be missed on the initial anteroposterior chest x-ray film. Caution must therefore be exercised in interpreting these films in the trauma resuscitation room.

Abdominal Injuries↗

Modification of the biologic dose to normal tissue by daily fraction. Model for calculating normal tissue tolerance.

A method to predict normal tissue injury is proposed that includes high daily doses and unusual times successfully by calculating a new value called BIR (Biologic Index of Reaction). BIR and NSD were calculated for various normal tissue reactions. With the aid of statistical correlation techniques it is found that the BIR model is better than the NSD model in predicting radiation myelopathy and vocal edema and as good as NSD in predicting rib fracture. Neither model predicts pericardial effusion. In no case were the results of BIR inferior to those of NSD.

Edema↗

A prospective analysis of occult pneumothorax, delayed pneumothorax and delayed hemothorax after minor blunt thoracic trauma.

OBJECTIVES: A prospective analysis was conducted to define the incidence of occult pneumothorax (OPX), delayed pneumothorax (DPX) and delayed hemothorax (DHX) and to propose an algorithm for surveillance. METHODS: During the last 2 years 709 consecutive patients who did not fulfill the indications for intrahospital management were examined at our emergency department for blunt thoracic injury. All patients were subjected to expiration posteroanterior chest radiograph (eCXR) and were scheduled for reevaluation after 24, 48 h and at 7, 14 and 21 days. RESULTS: OPX was present in 28 patients (4%) detected only with eCXR on admission, 14 patients developed DPX (2%) at 24-48 h later, and 52 patients presented up to 14 days later with DHX (7.4%). Of all DHX 42 (80.7%) required chest tube drainage, eight thoracentesis (16%) and only two (4%) were subjected after 1 month to decortication. No related morbidity was recorded. All the patients with the DHX had at least one rib fractured. Only one death among the DHX patients was documented. CONCLUSIONS: A safe algorithm is recommended: eCXR for every patient who suffered blunt thoracic injury with at least one rib fracture detected and is treated as an outpatient or in case his/her compliance with the reevaluation schedule will be suboptimal. Close follow-up is also suggested since these entities do exist, cannot be ignored and their treatment is early evacuation of the pleura cavity.

Adult↗

Sternal fractures occur most often in old cars to seat-belted drivers without any airbag often with concomitant spinal injuries: clinical findings and technical collision variables among 42,055 crash victims.

BACKGROUND: The incidence and treatment of sternal fractures caused by traffic accidents is of increasing importance to ensure best possible outcomes. METHODS: Analysis of technical indicators of the collision, preclinical, and clinical data of patients with sternal fractures from 1985 to 2004 among 42,055 injured patients was assessed by an Accident Research Unit. Two time groups were categorized: 1985 to 1994 (group A) versus 1995 to 2004 (group B). RESULTS: Of 42,055 patients, 267 (0.64%) suffered a sternal fracture. Regarding the vehicle type, the majority occurred after car accidents in 0.81% (251 of 31,183 patients), followed by 0.19% (5 of 2,633 patients) driving motorbike, and 0.11% (4 of 3,258 patients) driving a truck. Ninety-one percent wore a safety belt. Only 13% of all passengers suffering a sternal fracture had an airbag on board (33 of 255 car/trucks), with an airbag malfunction in 18%. The steering column was deformed in 39%, the steering wheel in 36%. Cars in the recent years were significantly older (group B, 7.67 +/- 5 years, versus group A, 5.88 +/- 5 years; p = 0.003). Cervical spine injuries are frequent (23% versus 22%), followed by multiple rib fractures (14% versus 12%) and lung contusions (12% versus 11%). We found 9 of 146 (6%) and 3 of 121 patients (3%) with heart contusion among the 267 sternal fractures. Maximal abbreviated injury scale score was 2.56 +/- 1.3 versus 2.62 +/- 1.3 (group A versus B, p = 0.349). Eighteen percent of patients were polytraumatized, with 11.2% dying at the scene, 2.3% in the hospital. CONCLUSIONS: Sternal fractures occur most often in old cars to seat-belted drivers often without any airbag. Severe multiple rib fractures and lung contusion are concomitant injuries in more than 10% each, indicating the severity of the crash. Over a 20-year period, the injury severity encountered was not different, with 18% polytrauma patients suffering sternal fractures.

Accidents, Traffic↗

Nonpenetrating thoracic injuries.

In patients with nonpenetrating thoracic trauma, the rib fractures and other chest wall lesions may distract the physician from dangerous internal injuries in the chest or abdomen which may not be noted unless looked for very carefully. Early vigorous correction of any ventilatory problem is essential, particularly if there is any evidence of impaired tissue perfusion. Shock is frequently due to extrathoracic injuries, particularly intraabdominal bleeding. The flail associated with multiple rib fractures may seem mild initially, but severe underlying pulponary contusion and/or associated extrathoracic injuries make early ventilatory assistance extremely important. Rupture of the thoracic aorta should be suspected in rapid deceleration injuries, but is often not considered unless there is widening of the superior mediastinum on hte chest x-ray. Aortography to confirm the aortic tear should be done if time permits, and early repair of the injury provides the best results.

Adolescent↗

[Catheter epidural analgesia for treatment of postoperative and post-traumatic pain].

Postoperative epidural local anesthetics or opiates provide excellent analgesia but do not reduce the incidence of respiratory complications compared with systemic analgesics. Additional and sometimes lethal side effects reserve the routine use of epidural analgesia for highly selected patients. Thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) may prevent ventilation in patients with serial rib fractures (SRF) without gross pulmonary parenchymal lesion. TEA results in fewer pulmonary complications, shorter hospital stay, and lower mortality than artificial respiration. Late global pulmonary tests after TEA for treatment of SRF show normal results within comparable groups without rib fractures.

Abdominal Injuries↗

Stress fractures of the ribs in amateur golf players.

BACKGROUND: Stress fractures of the ribs are sometimes seen at the Outpatient Department in patients with a history of playing golf enthusiastically. Many are diagnosed as "muscle strain" or "myofascial pain" and patients are simply advised to take some rest or are treated with analgesics and local injection. This case study investigated 11 amateur golfers whose chief complaint was anterior, posterior or lateral chest pain. After X-ray and bone scan evaluation, "stress fracture of the ribs" was diagnosed. A questionnaire presented to them trying to find the possible mechanisms of these stress fractures. Biomechanical analysis showed that the bending force of the ribs was located at posterolateral segments where fractures tend to occur. Overuse, poor technique and inadequate stretch in beginners are postulated as causes for apparent increased susceptibility to these skeletal injuries. METHODS: Questionnaires inquired about (1) warm-up time, (2) number of strikes, (3) fracture sites, (4) pain patterns, (5) combined injuries. RESULTS: All 11 patients were beginners with right side hand dominance who had begun to play golf within the year. Right side ribs fracture occurred in six cases; left side ribs fracture occurred in eight cases including three patients with two fracture sites. Localized pain was reported in six cases and there were five cases with radiating pain along costal margins. All the golfers had spent no more than 10 minutes in warm up them. Seven patients suffered from multiple injuries after they had played. Five were diagnosed by X-ray and six showed positive finding after Tc-99m MDP bone scan. All lesions were located at the posterolateral segments of the ribs. CONCLUSIONS: Stress fractures of the ribs in amateur golfers are certainly not uncommon. Predominant muscle forces are generated by forced coupling of scapular retraction and protraction, acting through the serratus anterior. With early diagnosis and relative rest for four to eight weeks, the pain will improve. Overuse, poor technique and inadequate stretch will probably lead to stress fracture of the rib.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗

Ewing sarcoma of the rib with normal blood flow and blood pool imagings on a 3-phase bone scan.

Ewing sarcoma is the second most common pediatric malignant bone tumor. It usually presents as a hot spot on a 3-phase bone scan as a result of increased vascularity of the tumor and new bone formation. However, aggressive Ewing sarcoma can also appear as a cold lesion. We present the features of a Ewing sarcoma of the rib on a 3-phase bone scan in a child who was being investigated for rib fracture after trauma.

Blood Flow Velocity↗

[Shaken baby syndrome and osteogenesis imperfecta].

INTRODUCTION: Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) is a form of physical abuse that includes the presence of a subdural or subarachnoid haematoma or diffuse cerebral oedema, retinal haemorrhages and, in general, absence of other physical signs of traumatic injury. Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a genetic disorder affecting the synthesis of type I collagen that leads to brittle bones with frequently occurring fractures, with presenting clinical symptoms taking a variety of forms. A differential diagnosis allowing it to be distinguished from physical abuse is known, due to the existence of bone fractures with no known traumatic injuries, but we do not understand the link between OI and SBS. CASE REPORT: We describe the case of an infant who, at the age of 3 months, suffered symptoms of acute encephalopathy with convulsions, subdural haematoma and retinal haemorrhages compatible with SBS, as well as bilateral rib fractures. The skeletal series of X-rays revealed alterations in bone structure and texture, which led to a diagnosis of OI that was confirmed by a study of the collagen in skin fibroblasts. CONCLUSIONS: The suspected existence of SBS is unpleasant both for the health care professional and for the patient's relatives. The existence of rib fractures in an obvious case of shaken baby syndrome suggested malicious abuse; however, the parents' attitude and the existence of OI made us think that no harm was intended. Shaking could have been secondary to bouts of crying due to microfissures related to the OI. The differential diagnosis of processes that can be mistaken for shaken baby or from favourable or predisposing medical factors must be taken into consideration.

Child Abuse↗

Subdural hematomas in children under 2 years. Accidental or inflicted? A 10-year experience.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the relative frequency of child abuse, accidents and disease as a cause of subdural hematomas in children under 2 years of age, and to determine the main clinical features at presentation, that may help to distinguish these groups of patients. METHOD: A retrospective review was undertaken of the medical records of all children under 2 years of age admitted to the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children with the diagnosis of subdural hematoma in the 10-year period January 1987 to December 1996. RESULTS: Thirty eight children were identified with subdural hematomas during the study period. The commonest cause was nonaccidental injury in 55% of cases, accidents in 39% and nontraumatic causes (6%) made up the remainder. The nonaccidental injury cases were significantly younger than the accidentally injured children. The most important clinical features were the significantly higher incidence of retinal hemorrhages and associated long bone and rib fractures in the abuse group. Delay in presentation for medical evaluation was also more commonly seen in the abused children. CONCLUSION: Nonaccidental injury is the commonest cause of subdural hematomas in children under 2 years of age. The presence of retinal hemorrhages, bone and rib fractures, delay in presentation and the young age of the infants, suggests child abuse is the most likely cause of these injuries.

Accidents↗

Snowboarding injuries of the chest: comparison with skiing injuries.

BACKGROUND: Snowboarding injuries have become more common with the remarkable increase in the sport's popularity. However, although there are many reports of orthopedic injuries caused by snowboarding, there are few reports on injuries to the chest. In this study, we attempted to identify the characteristics of snowboarding injuries of the chest in comparison with alpine skiing injuries. METHODS: Between December of 1988 and April of 1997, 1,579 and 9,108 patients were treated for snowboarding and skiing injuries, respectively. All patients were initially examined by emergency physicians who used chest x-ray film. Patients with known or suspected chest injuries were further examined by using chest computed tomography and ultrasonography by thoracic and general surgeons. A total of 96 snowboarding patients and 247 skiing patients had chest injuries. RESULTS: The chest injuries among snowboarders accounted for 6.1% of all injuries compared with only 2.7% amongst skiers. Snowboarders with chest injuries were younger, more often beginners, and more frequently occurred during the afternoon than skiers. Several distinct patterns of injury were noted among these two groups. As the cause of injury, a riding mistake during jumping was significantly higher for snowboarders (50.0%) than for skiers (0%). The incidence of rib fracture during snowboarding (55.2%) was significantly higher than during skiing (41.3%). There were no mortalities in either group. CONCLUSION: A riding mistake during improper jumping may be the primary cause of chest snowboarding injuries. Furthermore, snowboarders are much more likely to injure the chest, particularly by rib fractures, than skiers.

Adolescent↗

A randomized clinical trial of rib belts for simple fractures.

The authors present a pilot study in which 20 patients with simple rib fractures were randomized prospectively into two treatment groups. One group received ibuprofen and the other group ibuprofen plus a rib belt for analgesia. There were no statistically significant differences observed in pulmonary function testing between the groups at initial visit, 48 hours, or 5 days. Atelectasis developed in four patients, two in each treatment group; there were no cases of pneumonitis. Patients with displaced rib fractures experienced a higher rate of hemo- or pneumothorax than did those with nondisplaced fractures (5/10 v 1/10). Patients with displaced fractures who used rib belts experienced a higher rate of hemothorax than those using oral analgesia alone (4/6 v 1/4). Patients using rib belts uniformly reported a significant amount of additional pain relief. The clinician can use a rib belt to provide additional comfort to the patient with fractured ribs without apparent additional compromise to respiratory parameters. A further study stratifying displaced and nondisplaced fractures has been initiated to clarify the possible contributing roles of displaced rib fractures and the rib belt in patients with displaced fractures.

Adolescent↗

From the archives of the AFIP. Child abuse: radiologic-pathologic correlation.

In the United States, roughly one of every 100 children is subjected to some form of neglect or abuse; inflicted injury is responsible for approximately 1,200 deaths per year. Child physical abuse may manifest as virtually any injury pattern known to medicine. Some of the injuries observed in battered children are relatively unique to this population (especially when observed in infants) and therefore are highly suggestive of nonaccidental, or inflicted, injury. Worrisome injuries include rib fracture, metaphyseal fracture, interhemispheric extraaxial hemorrhage, shear-type brain injury, vertebral compression fracture, and small bowel hematoma and laceration. As noted, however, virtually any injury may be inflicted; therefore, careful consideration of the nature of the injury, the developmental capabilities of the child, and the given history are crucial to determine the likelihood that an injury was inflicted. The majority of these injuries are readily detectable at imaging, and radiologic examination forms the mainstay of evaluation of child physical abuse. Detection of metaphyseal fracture (regarded as the most specific radiographically detectable injury in abuse) depends on high-quality, small field-of-view radiographs. The injury manifests radiographically as a lucent area within the subphyseal metaphysis, extending completely or partially across the metaphysis, roughly perpendicular to the long axis of the bone. Acute rib fractures (which in infants are strongly correlated with abuse) appear as linear lucent areas. They may be difficult to discern when acute; thus, follow-up radiography increases detection of these fractures. For skull injuries, radiography is best for detecting fractures, but computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging best depict intracranial injury.

Archives↗