[Bronchial disruption due to blunt chest trauma--a report of 6 cases]

Six cases with bronchial disruption due to blunt chest trauma are reported. Clinical symptoms were dyspnea in 5 patients, hemopneumothorax in 3 cases, and hemoptysis and subcutaneous emphysema in 4 cases each. Pneumothorax was not found on immediate radiological examination in 3 patients. Bronchial disruption was defined by exploratory thoracotomy in one case three days after trauma. In the remaining 5 cases, the diagnosis was demonstrated by lipiodol bronchography and fibrobronchoscopy 70 days to 6 years later. End-to-end anastomosis of the bronchus was performed in 5 patients, whereas right middle and lower lobectomy was done in one case. Five patients with bronchial repair suffered transient atelectasis of the lung, which reexpanded in 4 to 10 days.