[Pneumothorax in severe chest injuries]

The authors reviewed CT scans and supine chest X-ray of 47 patients affected by severe thoracic trauma, examined in 1985-86. The sensibility of the two methodologies in the assessment of pneumothorax was compared. CT detected 25 pneumothorax, whereas supine chest X-ray allowed a diagnosis in 18 cases only. In 8 of the latter (44.4%) the diagnosis was made possible by the presence of indirect signs of pneumothorax only--the most frequent being the deep sulcus sign. The characterization of pneumothorax is important especially in the patients who need to be treated with mechanical ventilation therapy, or who are to undergo surgery in total anaesthesia.