Tracheal injury diagnosed with three-dimensional imaging using multidetector row computed tomography

Tracheobronchial injury is a rare and serious complication of blunt chest trauma. Diagnosis of this injury requires a high index of clinical suspicion. Delay in diagnosis is the single most important factor influencing the outcome. Diagnosis of this injury may be delayed because of subtle and nonspecific clinical and radiological findings and the much more overt clinical signs of other more-frequently associated injuries. Although the radiographic findings and axial computed tomographic (CT) findings of this type of injury have been reported in the literature, to the best of our knowledge. the use of 3-dimensional (3D) CT has never been reported. We report a case of such an injury demonstrated by multiplanar and 3D imaging using a multidetector row computed tomographic scanner. A large carinal laceration was clearly depicted on multiplanar and 3D CT images.