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Protocol and Guidelines for Point-of-Care Lung Ultrasound in Diagnosing Neonatal Pulmonary Diseases Based on International Expert Consensus
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When is a pneumothorax not a pneumothorax?
Sinead Harte1, Rowan G Casey, Des Mannion
1Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin, Dublin, Ireland.
Abstract:
The authors report on a 13-year-old boy who, after exercise, had respiratory distress and left upper quadrant abdominal pain. Initially, a mistaken diagnosis of pneumothorax was made, and a chest tube was inserted. A nasogastric tube was then visualized on chest x-ray in the left hemithorax. He underwent a laparotomy and had herniation of spleen, stomach, and large and small bowel in the left pleural space passing through a traumatic defect in the hemidiaphragm. The laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication 3 years prior was felt to have contributed. A timely and correct diagnosis is essential to avoid the sequelae associated with these injuries and with inappropriate tube thoracostomy.
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