Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Multi-modal Pulmonary Imaging: Using Complementary Information from CT and Hyperpolarized 129Xe MRI to Evaluate Lung Structure-Function
Published on: April 12, 2024
Chest computed tomography with multiplanar reformatted images for diagnosing traumatic bronchial rupture: a case
Morgan Le Guen1, Catherine Beigelman, Belaid Bouhemad
1Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, La Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, University Pierre et Marie Curie Paris-6, France. morgan.le-guen@psl.aphp.fr
Introduction:
Unnoticed bronchial injury during the early stage of resuscitation of multiple trauma is not rare and increases mortality and morbidity.
Methods:
Three-dimensional reconstruction of the airways using a workstation connected to a multidetector chest computed tomography (CT) scanner may change the diagnostic strategy in patients with blunt chest trauma with clinical signs evocative of bronchial rupture.
Results:
In this case report of a young motor biker, a complete disruption of the intermediary trunk was first misdiagnosed using standard chest helical CT and bronchoscopy. Postprocessing procedures including three-dimensional extraction of the tracheobronchial tree were determinants for establishing the diagnosis, and emergent surgical repair was successfully performed. Follow-up using CT with three-dimensional reconstructions evidenced a bronchial stenosis located at the site of the rupture.
Conclusion:
The present study demonstrates the potential interest of performing three-dimensional reconstructions by extraction of the tracheal-bronchial tree in patients with severe blunt chest trauma suspected of bronchial rupture.
Related Concept Videos
Flail Chest-II
Assessment:
1. Clinical Evaluation:
History:
Pneumothorax-II
Clinical Manifestations:
Flail Chest-I
Flail chest is a severe and potentially life-threatening condition characterized by the fracture of three or more adjacent ribs in multiple places. It is most commonly caused by direct impacts and trauma, such as motor vehicle accidents or injuries from a steering wheel impact. It can also occur due to falls in elderly individuals with osteoporosis, or assaults involving sharp objects.
Pathophysiology
The pathophysiology of flail chest is complex, involving fractures of...
Pneumothorax-I
Pneumothorax can be even further classified as spontaneous, traumatic, and tension pneumothorax.
Computed Tomography
The technique was invented in the 1970s and is based on the principle that as X-rays pass through the body, they are absorbed or reflected at different levels. In the technique, a patient lies on a motorized platform while a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanner rotates...
Pneumothorax II: Pathophysiology
