Unusual cavitary lesions of the lung: Analysis of patients with traumatic pulmonary pseudocyst

In this study, we aimed to draw attention to traumatic pulmonary pseudocysts, which are rare cavitary lesions resulting from thoracic trauma, and review the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches and results.

Between January 2014 and January 2017, 30 patients included in this study who were diagnosed with traumatic pulmonary pseudocysts, from 582 patients who were admitted to our hospital with blunt thoracic trauma. To obtain data from the hospital information management system of patients included in this study, permission was obtained from the medical specialization board and the data were analyzed retrospectively.

The mean age of the patients with traumatic pulmonary pseudocysts was 40.8 years (range, 7-75 years), and 11 (36.7%) of the patients were under the age of thirty and 19 (63.3%) were over the age of thirty. Twenty-eight (93.3%) patients had lung contusion and among those who had traumatic pulmonary pseudocysts diameter less than 2 cm, in 10 (33.3%) patients, contusion was present. In 27 patients, TPP was seen in thoracic computed tomography and diagnosed in the first 12 hours, but only in 10 of these patients, traumatic pulmonary pseudocysts was seen on chest x-ray. The extrathoracic injury was found in 15 (50%) patients. Twenty-two (73.3%) patients underwent tube thoracostomy. No patient required a thoracotomy.

Traumatic pneumatoceles are benign lesions and most of them regress with symptomatic treatment and supportive therapy without any specific treatment.